


Hermione Granger 28 Years Before

by EtainBlack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Friendship, Hogwarts, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-31 17:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6478750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtainBlack/pseuds/EtainBlack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione Granger is still the same person, still the same Gryffindor, only that she was born 28 years before. Exactly in 1951, the same year as Sirius, James, Lily and Bellatrix. What will happen when Hermione discovers her feelings toward a certain Slytherin witch? Read inside to find out! Warning: english isn't my first language, and this is a femmslash. Bellamione.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok this is another idea that came out of nowhere. Here Hermione is born 28 years earlier, in 1951. The same year as Bellatrix Black. It's a femmslash so if you don't like, don't read.
> 
> For those who had already read the first twelve chapters, know that I made some slight changes to the story… Mainly I corrected grammar.
> 
> But okay, let's start now!

And for the sixth year I'm back on this train.

The Hogwarts Express had just left, another year was about to start finally! I wonder in how much trouble would we get this year. With friends like mine it was impossible not getting into some kind of trouble or worst, danger.

I was sitting in a compartment with said friends:

James Potter and Sirius Black, the troublemakers, who were already planning the jokes to do to the Slytherin. Some people never change, not that they weren't funny, watching guys run around covered in Dungbombs wasn't bad, but personally I think they should study a little more.

But I'm Hermione Granger, so I guess that my opinion about what is necessary to study doesn't count.

Then there were Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, with the first I went along really well, we often studied together and it was always with him that I confided. The second, however, was a bit sticky... I knew he had a crush on me since second year, but he really wasn't my type. I know that looks shouldn't be important in a relationship but c'mon, have you ever seen him? And, apart from the looks, I wanted someone with a backbone, not someone who followed you around doing what the others told them and never complaining.

The last person in the compartment was Lily Evans. I considered her my best friend, even if my confidant was Remus. We had a lot in common she and I, even the same blood. No, we weren't relatives, but we were both Muggle-born, Mudblood like the Slytherins liked to repeat over and over again.

There are also them of which I haven't spoken yet, the Slytherins. When I think of them the first person that comes to my mind is a girl of my own age, a witch gifted with great power and, of course, of the purest blood: Bellatrix Black.

My relationship with her was very complicated. At times I hated her with all my heart, like all the other Muggle-borns, other times ... I felt drawn to her, like two magnets. Yes, two magnets. I could feel her eyes on me while she looked at me while I was turned and then suddenly I'd meet her eyes, I could see the same light reflected in hers, she was as intrigued as I was. I didn't know how I felt about her, nor if this was right, maybe I had a crush on her, maybe not, but certainly it was a strong emotion. Of course, even Remus didn't know about this.

Bellatrix had also two sisters, Narcissa, who was a second year, was much more shy than Bellatrix but definitely had the same air of "I am a Black". Andromeda, who was attending the fourth year, was nice. Yes, I often met her at the library and you could see immediately that she was different from the other two, she was more like Sirius. Only she wasn't a troublemaker. It was Bellatrix who out of the three sisters liked to play pranks on the students of the other houses. She and her friends were feared and kind of controlled the school, but the Maraurders put up a great resistence.

But back to Andromeda, last year I talked a lot with her. We had also written a few letters this summer, but she, for how kind she may be, was not the Black I wanted to know better...

"Hermione?" I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't heard Lily call mt name several times.

"Um ... yes?"

"No nothing. I just wanted to check if you were okay, you know it's more than an hour that you don't speak a word... " was explaining the redhead.

"Maybe she was thinking of someone who she would really like to get to know better ... but that someone isn't very much worth it ..."

That wasn't the first time that Sirius gave me the impression to suspect something about my feelings. Every time someone asked me what I was thinking, he always arrived with similar sentences, spoken with his usual grin. He always seemed to allude to his cousin... But this wasn't possible, even if Sirius was intuitive it was impossible for him to suspect my feelings, at least not for Bellatrix. I mean, even I wasn't sure about what I felt so how could he know?

C'mon! If I told that to someone they would laugh at me, Bellatrix Black dating a Muggle-born? A female muggle-born? Bellatrix of all people who could have all the guys she wanted?

"Hermione! You're doing it again! Are you sure you're okay? "

I nodded immediately.

"Yes, I'm fine ... Now that I think about it I'm a bit hungry"

"No problem" said James " Wormtail come with me, let's go find the shopping cart"

"But I ..."

"Come on Peter, you wouldn't want your loved one to die of hunger! Think about it, if you bring her some chocolate frogs maybe you'll be her hero and she'll give you a kiss "

More or less all of the Gryffindor knew that Wormtail had a thing for me and James never missed an opportunity to mock him and make both of us embarrassed.

"James!" I hissed "Shut up"

Everyone except me and Peter laughed, then he and James went to find the shopping cart.

"Why don't you give him a chance, Hermione?" Sirius began with his mock serious tone.

"Sirius"

"What is it? Maybe love blossoms ... you have to admit he has a certain charm, the way in which he paws around... "

Lily beside me burst out laughing.

"Lily, you too!"

Sirius laughed too and continued his speech about how fascinating Peter Pettigrew was.

"Or..." oh no, I knew that tone, now he was going to mention something that would make me uncomfortable. "Hermione prefers someone far more fascinating and mysterious. Someone who doesn't paw around but walk tall and look down on everyone "

No, he doesn't know. This cannot be...

I instantly looked out the window. Sirius had to refer to someone else, not her. I trembled at the thought of what my friends would do if they knew about my feelings toward her. Feelings that I myself had still to understand.

"Oh come on Hermione! I was just kidding, you know how I am " Sirius added quickly, probably noticing my troubled expression and misinterpreting it.

Feeling reassured I raised my head and smiled at him.

"We know Hermione" then he continued "that you'd never fall in love with the wrong person"

And there it was again. Another damn dig. Sometimes I just couldn't bear him.

Luckily at that moment James and Peter returned carrying lots of candy and the light atmosphere returned.

After the snack Sirius and James continued to plot against the Slytherin, Remus began to read a book and Lily and Peter were lost in a conversation I didn't really care about.

I was tired and had a slight headache, so I decided to take a nap during what was left of the travel.  
.................................................................................................

I was at King's Cross station. It was my first year at Hogwarts and I was looking for a free compartment on the train, I was late and all were already occupied. I found one that inside had just a little girl of my age, her red hair in a ponytail and a kind expression on her face.

"Can I sit with you?" I asked, opening the door.

"Sure, come in" she said smiling.

"Hello, my name is Hermione. It's my first year ... "I introduced myself sitting down beside her.

"I'm Lily, for me is the first year too"

After the presentations we started to talk about our families and get to know each other better. We were both Muggle-borns. Shortly after, however, the compartment door opened again, and two kids of our age entered.

The boy had curly black hair that reached his shoulders and his black eyes sparkled with joy. He seemed a nice boy.

After him a young girl came in. She had the same black eyes, only that hers had a mysterious light. Her hair was curly and black too, but it was long and reached her mid back. She was very pretty.

I thought they had to be twins.

"Hello" said the boy and his voice reflected the joy of his eyes "Can we sit here with you? The rest of the train is full "

"Sure" I said pointing to the seats in front of me and Lily.

The two sat down.

"I'm Lily Evans and this is Hermione Granger" Lily began with presentations.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Sirius Black and this is ... "he pointed to the girl sitting next to him.

"My name is Bellatrix Black" said the girl. She had an air of superiority that somehow matched with the aura of mystery that surrounded her.

"Nice to meet you" I said "Are you twins or something? You look alike"

"We're cousins " Sirius replied "For me and Bella is the first year at Hogwarts"

"Even for us" cried Lily "This means that we will be in class together! In what house would you prefer be sorted in?" she asked looking at me.

"I would like Gryffindor" I answered promptly and I heard Bellatrix snort slightly "But even Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad"

"I hope Gryffindor too!" Lily said with enthusiasm, then turned to the Blacks "You?"

"Slytherin" this time it was Bellatrix who spoke first "Right Sirius?" The boy next to her nodded under the gaze of her cousin, but I noticed that the joy was gone from his eyes for a moment "Our family" she continued "Has been sorted in Slytherin for generations " she concluded with an air of superiority.

The train ride was fast and in no time the first year students were in the Great Hall in front of the Sorting Hat, waiting for their turn to be sorted.

Professor McGonagall was calling the pupils in alphabetical order, now it was up to B.

"Black Bellatrix"

The girl who was with me on the train pushed her way among the students and sat proudly on the stool.

The teacher put the hat over her thick curls and immediately it exclaimed:

"Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table burst into applause and then the sorting continued.

"Black Sirius"

The cheerful little boy sat with his head down on the stool and McGonagall put the hat on him.

The room was silent for almost a minute before the hat spoke:

"Gryffindor!"  
.....................................................................................................................

"Hermione, Hermione wake up" someone was shaking my shoulder.

"What-what is it?" I asked hiding a yawn.

"We are here" said Lily.

As we climbed on the cars I thought back to the dream I had had. It was the day of my sorting.

I smiled. I'll never forget the first time I came to Hogwarts.

Soon we were all in the Great Hall, but I wasn't paying attention to the sorting. My eyes were wandering around the room, around the Slytherin table more precisely.

I was beginning to think that she didn't come to dinner, when I finally saw her.

Bellatrix Black hadn't changed much during the summer. Her hair was slightly longer compared to how she brought them in the fifth year, but her unruly black curls were always unmistakable. Her eyes were fixed on a boy who had just been sorted into Hufflepuff and she was looking at him with her usual air of superiority.

Someone on her right smiled at me and I noticed only then that Andromeda Black was sitting next to her sister. I nodded at her, hoping with all my heart that she had not seen me stare at Bellatrix. What would she think?

Apart from that the dinner went normally and when the headmaster Dumbledore had finished giving his warnings everyone was allowed to return in the dorms.

The elves had already fixed all the trunks, so as soon as I entered the dorm I threw myself on the bed.

"Have you noticed," Lily began from the bed next to mine "How many kids have been sorted in Slytherin this year?"

"Mmhmm" I hadn't really noticed anything because I was lost in my thoughts all the evening

"You're getting sleepy Hermione?" Lily laughed "You slept the whole trip!"

"Tomorrow we have double Transfiguration. We need to be rested "

"As you wish. Goodnight "

"Goodnight"

And with that I fell asleep in the familiar scarlet sheets of the Gryffindor Tower.

However, always with the thoughts of a certain witch who wouldn't let me be at peace lately.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 2:

A week had passed since the beginning of the school year. Everything proceeded normally except for the fact that James and Sirius hadn't been put in detention yet.

Lily and I were entering the Great Hall when we saw them gesture for us to approach them.

"What are you doing?"

I knew too well that expressions on their faces for not knowing that something was going to happen.

"We? But Hermione, why can't you think that we just want to greet you as friends do? "

"Let's say your names are enough to make us think that something's up" said Lily.

I didn't hear James's answer because at that time thick curly passed us to enter the hall.

Bellatrix Black walked so close to us that we could smell her perfume. An intense and delicious aroma of violets, and something that I could only describe as "Bellatrix." No one else could imitate this scent.

I followed her with my eyes as she sat at the Slytherin table, away from the other students.

Another thing about her that I had noticed this week was that she spent a lot of time by herself. The only times I saw her with other people, except her sisters, were when she was in class. During meals I never saw her speak to anyone, she dined early, alone, and then went away.

Ok I'm not a stalker, but it is a very weird behavior!

"Hermione, you see something you like?" Sirius asked, following my gaze that led him directly to Bellatrix.

"NO! No ... "I nearly shouted "I was just lost in thoughts ... you know ... History of Magic…" I hastened to find an excuse "What were you saying? "

"Look at the Slytherin table, can you see Snape?" James asked.

I nodded.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing yet ... but look when he drinks from his cup "

At that moment the poor Slytherin raised the glass to his lips and drank. When he leaned it back he turned blue.

"Snape what happened to you?" Shouted a Slytherin sitting next to him.

James and Sirius laughed and Lily looked at them angrily.

"What have you done?"

"Just a little spell to his pumpkin juice ... We know an elf in the kitchen which gave us a hand ..." Sirius explained.

The laughter spread throughout the room, Lily ran up to Snape to accompany him to the infirmary.

While Sirius was too busy laughing I took the opportunity to launch another look at Bellatrix.

She was watching Lily and Snape go out of the room with a grin. At that moment I recognized the Bellatrix of the other years, but it was only for a moment.

Suddenly our eyes met. The grin gave way to a haunted expression before being hidden behind the empty mask of the other days.

I was the first to break eye contact and lowered my head, blushing. Soon after Bellatrix stood up from the table and left the Great Hall.

"Hermione, where are you going?" James asked when he saw me walking away.

"In the library. See you later "

The library was almost completely empty, however I chose my usual table in one of the most peaceful corners and pulled out a random book from my bag.

I began to read a bit of Transfiguration but I couldn't concentrate. My mind was full of thoughts, all about the same person. Guess who?

It's her. Why had she held my glance for so long? Why is she always on her own? What had changed in her?

I sighed and leaned my head on my arms, closing my eyes.

Why her? Couldn't I just have a crush on Sirius? All the girls had a crush on him ... But was it really a crush that I had on Bellatrix Black or was it something more? Or something less?

"Hello Hermione"

I lifted my head from my arms and blinked a few times. I was almost falling asleep.

When I saw the person who had greeted me I almost had a stroke.

No, it wasn't her, but perhaps that was the person who could answer my questions. The questions which, however, I didn't have the courage to ask. What could I say?

_Hello Andromeda ... tell me, I've been watching your sister Bellatrix and wondered why she behaves in such a strange way lately… Oh right! Didn't you know that I have a crush on her?_

No, I could never.

"Hello Andromeda" I smiled.

"Were you studying History of Magic by any chance? I saw that you were almost sleeping "

"No, it's that I didn't sleep well last night"

Andromeda took a seat in the chair in front of mine.

"It is hard to get used to being back in school ..."

"Yeah ... how did you spend the rest of your vacation, Dromeda? You haven't answered my last letter ... "

"Oh yeah, sorry. I didn't answer because my father has almost found it. He said that if he discovered that I had some correspondence with the Muggle-borns he would punish me ... you know how they are…" she said looking at her shoes.

"I understand, don't worry Dromeda. I had imagined it would have been for a similar reason. I'm sorry I got you in trouble "

"It doesn't matter. You'll never believe it: when my father scolded me I was very upset, but when I entered my room Bellatrix was there, and guess what? "

The name of Bellatrix drew my full attention so I encouraged Andromeda to go on.

"She comforted me! She said that I shouldn't let it bother me and that she would always be there for me, even though I had Muggle-borns friends!"

I think my face, as soon as she finished speaking, looked like that of a fish with its mouth open.

"Did I hear right? Your sister Bellatrix? "

"Yeah I know, even I couldn't believe it. I would have expected this from Narcissa ... Lately though, Bella is weird. Even during the summer she didn't behave as she usually did" Andromeda said while I listened carefully.

I couldn't be so lucky. Little Dromeda was talking about what I hadn't the courage to ask!

"Perhaps I shouldn't bother you with these things Hermione. I know you're not exactly on good terms with my sister ... "

In that moment I saw the opportunity and took it immediately.

"No Dromeda don't worry, you're not boring me. You know that if you need to talk to someone I'm here" I gave a quick glance around "We are alone, no one will see a Slytherin talk quietly with a Gryffindor "

Then I winked to reassure her. I meant it when I said she could talk to me. I cared about Andromeda, she was my friend. It wasn't just because at the moment she wanted to, unknowingly, answer the questions I had about Bellatrix.

"Thanks Hermione. Often other students don't speak to me because of my surname and I cannot tell these things to other Slytherin because I know they wouldn' keep their mouths shut and Bellatrix would know "

"I won't say a word. You can take it out Dromeda" I assured her again.

It must not be easy for a person like her being a Black.

"See Hermione, I'm a bit worried about her. In the last few days she's always alone, sometimes she stands in a corner of the common room and looks out the window with a blank stare, sometimes she goes out in the evening when it's dark, I think she goes to the black lake. It is so strange, this is not her at all. Can you say that she hasn't bullied the Hufflepuffs or Snape yet!" I couldn't suppress a smile when she named the boy who was now in the infirmary.

"When do you think she started to behave in a different way?"

Andromeda stopped to think about it.

"This summer. When she heard my father yelling at me because I had filfhy Mudbloods as friends" she said, raising her eyes to heaven when she repeated the words of his father.

"And Narcissa has noticed these changes?

Andromeda nodded sadly.

"Yes, she is destroyed. She suffers to see her sister in this state. One evening she stopped her when she was leaving and asked her if everything was okay. Bella didn't even turn, she told her she was ok and continued to walk "

"Well, this is strange. Are you sure she goes to the black lake? "

"I guess she goes there. The other years, when she wanted to be alone, she always went to the lake, but never so often. She goes there almost every night! "

"Have you ever tried to follow her?"

Andromeda laughed bitterly.

"Follow her? No, Bella would notice and this would only worsen things "

"Ladies, isn't it time to go back to the dorm?"

Madam Pince was approaching their table with an air of authority. I looked at the clock and I had a shot to see that it was nearly nine o'clock.

"It is Madam Pince, we were just going" I said as I gathered my things from the table.

"Miss Granger, were you still studying? You have to rest some more ... Ah well, Miss Black I have here the book you asked yesterday "

"Thank you Madam Pince"

"Now go, it's late! Miss Granger I trust you that, as a prefect, you want to accompany Miss Black to the Slytherin's dorm, so that if Mr. Filch is around he won't put her in detention since she was in the library all this time "

"Of course Madam Pince, goodbye" I said as we headed for the exit.

Andromeda and I were about to walk past the front door when someone opened it to exit.

"Look, Hermione" whispered Andromeda pointing the figure that I couldn't recognize in the darkness "It's Bella. She's going outside again"

For a moment I was tempted to follow her but Dromeda seemed to read my thoughts:

"No Hermione. Don't follow her, she would see you immediately. Bellatrix is used to the darkness, sometimes at home she walks through the corridors in the dark "

I nodded giving up my plan.

In a short time we came to the wall that led to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Dromeda, if you want to talk again, you know where to find me" I said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Hermione, really. I'll keep you informed on the situation "

I smiled, "Good night"

"Good night, Hermione"

As soon as I arrived in the common room I spotted Lily in a corner.

"Hey Lily, what's wrong?"

The redhead shook her head.

"No it's just that I feel sorry for Severus. James and Sirius have embarrassed him in front of all the Great Hall "

"Come on Lily, you know how they are! And it's not like all of them saw him!"

Ok maybe it wasn't a great comfort but the truth was that I didn't like Snape all that much.

"Oh look who is here! Hello Mione, where have you been all this time?" Sirius asked, coming down the stairs, followed by James and Peter Pettigrew.

"Yeah, where were you? Peter was worried" added James sitting on an armchair.

"I was in the library, I met someone and we stopped to chat" I said anxiously awaiting Sirius' comment.

This time I decided to play his game.

"Ahhh ... And was it anyone _interesting_?" Sirius asked.

"Ohh yeah, it was your cousin" I smiled when I saw him paling, he didn't expect it.

"M-my cousin?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, Andromeda's very nice "

I smiled even more when I saw him heave a sigh.

"Ahhh! Andromeda! "

At that point I could no longer hold back my laughter.

"Of course Sirius! Who were you expecting? "

I was still laughing at the face he made as I climbed the stairs to my dorm.

_I think this will shut him up for a week!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Here we are at the end of the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed and that you'll let me know! See you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the third chapter. As usual I thank all who have added this story among their follow/favorite and send a big kiss to those who left a review!

Another week had passed since my conversation with Andromeda.

The girl was always more worried about her sister, she spent all her time alone and I had noticed that during the lessons she never paid attention. She seemed to live in a world of her own.

I was sure that even the teachers had noticed it by now. Not that Bellatrix's marks were low, her results were good as much as mine and in the practice she exceeded everybody, even James and Sirius. That was the only thing that hadn't changed in her behavior: she loved to perform.

"Hermione, you're still here with me?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Sorry Dromeda ... lately I tend to lose myself in my thoughts "

I smiled at kinder of the Black sisters. That evening we were still in the library, talking, it had now become a habit. Often we talked about normal things, lessons, teachers, and boys... I wasn't interested at all in the latter though I didn't want to arouse suspicion, Andromeda is bright. Other times we talked about her older sister. This was one of those times.

"What were you saying?" She smiled.

"This afternoon Bella was alone in her dorm, I entered, I don't think she noticed me immediately, and she was crying. This is the first time I see her cry, not even when we were kids "Dromeda sighed and her eyes lost in the cloudy sky outside the window.

"Dromeda ..." I took her hand and squeezed.

"Hermione, I ..." Her eyes filled with tears "Hermione, I don't recognize her anymore! I don't know what to do, what to say. She doesn't speak with anyone, not even with me and Cissy ... "

"Hey, don't cry"

I got up from my chair and sat in the one next to hers. I put my arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

"Thanks Hermione. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here ... "

"Don't thank me. Now come on! We must find out what is happening to your sister"

She nodded and smiled.

"Do you think this has anything to do with her escapes at night?"

Dromeda shook her head.

"I don't know. Sometimes I hide in the common room waiting for her, she is never gone for more than an hour , her clothes are intact so I don't think she goes into the Forbidden Forest ... "

"In any case we have to find a way to follow her. Something tells me that these trips could be the key to everything ... "

Andromeda wiped the last tears and looked at me but then her eyes focused on something behind my back.

Madam Pince was looking for a book on a shelf behind our table and behind her there was none other than Bellatrix Black.

She was looking at the books on the shelf but without really paying attention. Her eyes were all red and I could tell she had been crying. It was the first time that week I saw her so close and I knew right away because Andromeda was so worried. She was pale, paler than usual. You could see she ate little, but what was most effect were her eyes, they were dull, without the usual mysterious light.

Andromeda looked at me and nodded.

"Hey Bella!"

Bellatrix turned to us as soon as she heard the voice of her sister.

"Hello Andromeda"

Even her voice was different. It had lost its arrogance and became cold and distant.

Her black eyes stood over me and I noticed from the corner of my eye her right hand closing into a fist.

"Here it is Miss Black" said Madam Pince handing her a book with a golden cover "I don't understand why you need a book about these magical creatures, but ..."

"It's not for me" said Bellatrix taking the book "I'm just doing a favor. Goodbye "

She gave a nod to Andromeda and, avoiding looking at me, went away.

"When we speak of the devil ..." said Drmoeda "What book was that?"

"I have no idea. Something about magical creatures, but who could need a book like that? "

Andromeda shrugged.

"We need to find out what she does at night. I don't think she goes out just to think" I said getting up and gathering my books.

"I know ... but Hermione, what do we do?"

"I don't know yet, but don't worry Dromeda. I'll find a way " I said as we left.

"Hermione, I really appreciate your help, but ..." Andromeda seemed unsure of what to say "Can I ask you a question?"

I stood in the hallway and turned to look at her:

"Sure"

"Why?"

"What why?"

"Why are you helping me? Probably you hate Bellatrix, so you didn't have to help me, but here you are all convinced that you can find out what's going on ... "

I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders, I didn't know what to say, certainly not the truth, but anyway I tried to reassure her:

"Dromeda, I can see how the behavior of your sister is worrying you. I want to help, I'm sure that you would do the same for me "

She nodded.

"Thank you"

"See you tomorrow"

I walked at full speed towards the Gryffindor tower. In the library an idea had come to me. I knew what I needed and to who ask for it: I had to find James.

I walked into the common room and saw immediately that Remus was reading.

"Remus! Where is James? "

Slowly he looked up from his book.

"He and Sirius are in the dormitory. Why are you looking for him in such a hurry? "

I did not answer his question, and I rushed up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

As soon as I came out of the door I heard the voice of Sirius shout:

"How could you? And what do we do now? "

Then James replied:

"It's not my fault! Flich came when I wasn't looking! "

At that point I decided to go in and find out what had happened to make them fight like that.

"Guys what happened? I could hear you from the hallway! "

Sirius turned to me and was the first to answer:

"James was smart enough to get the Marauder's Map seized by Filch!"

Could I be the most unlucky person in the castle? I always hated that damn map and now that I needed to find Bellatrix, Filch had seized it.

"But-But how?" I asked, unable to believe my luck.

"Ask James! He is the genius "

With this Sirius went out slamming the door behind him.

I turned to James.

"It's my fault Hermione. I wasn't paying attention and Flich was right behind me ... I had worn the cloak of invisibility because it seemed to be safe and now the map is safe in Filch's office. It is impossible to take it unless... "James paused to think of a plan, and so I did.

The map wasn't the only way to find out where Bellatrix was going, there was also another. It was more risky because I had to follow her in person, but it was also much more reliable because if she came out of the confines of the school as I thought she did, I could continue to follow her anyway.

"Unless" continued James brightening "A Prefect doesn't go to Filch's office when he's out and take it for us"

James looked at me with big eyes.

"Hermione, you're a prefect and you are also our friend ..."

"No" I answered immediately, I didn't want to get in trouble because of them.

"Please Mione ..."

"No! I won't "

"Hermione, I'll do anything you want, please!"

He folded his hands as if in prayer and at that time I noticed that on the bed was leaning what I needed.

"I have one condition ..." I said looking at him.

"Whatever you want!"

"I'll take the Marauder's Map only if you borrow me the invisibility cloak" I concluded indicating the cloak lying on the bed.

"Ok, I accept! Now I beg you, bring me the map! "

I nodded and left the dormitory.

Filch's office was far from the Gryffindor tower, but since I was a Prefect and the curfew was still an hour away, I walked through the halls.

The office was a small room, filled with shelves and a desk in the center. Luckily for me Filch wasn't inside.

"Accio map!"

One of the drawers opened and out flew the Marauder's Map. I took it and hurried to leave.

As I walked through the entrance courtyard I saw Hagrid return to his hut with a book in hand.

"Hey Hagrid!"

The giant stopped and turned to me with a smile.

"Hello Hermione. Are you okay? "In his tone I noticed something strange, as if he knew something he did not want to tell me.

"Yes, yes, what about you?"

"I'm good... I'm sorry but I have to go. See you! "he turned and walked toward his house.

I didn't pay much attention to his behavior and returned to the dorm.

"Thank you Hermione! You're an angel! "James exclaimed when he saw me come back with the Marauder's Map.

"Sirius! Sirius! Hermione found the map! "

"Great Mione! What would we do without you! "

The two friends hugged me until I could hardly breathe.

It was almost curfew and I knew that if I wanted to follow Bellatrix I had to hurry.

"Okay, okay. James now lend me your cloak? "

"Yes, of course, I'll take it" and hurried up the stairs.

"What do you need the cloak for?" Sirius asked.

"I have to get a book from the restricted section" I lied.

"Always the same" Sirius said, and I was certain that he had believed my little lie.

"Here it is. Use it as you want "

The curfew started ten minutes ago so I put on the cloak and walked to the entrance courtyard. I sat near the door and waited.

After about half an hour I heard the sound of light footsteps. Soon after a figure appeared in the darkness, I recognized Bellatrix when she walked out of the door and the white light of the moon lit up her curls and her face, making her look even paler.

The I remained behind about twenty feet and began to follow her.

_Finally, I'll find out what you're up to..._

We walked quickly, I thought we were headed to the Forbidden Forest, but I had almost a heart attack when Bellatrix stood in front of Hagrid's hut and knocked.

A few seconds later the half-giant appeared and made her enter.

I didn't know what to think, Bellatrix should hate the giants, instead here she was in Hagrid's house every night.

I decided that I should talk to Hagrid, so I found a comfortable place and sat down to wait for Bellatrix to come out.

After nearly an hour I looked inside the small window and saw her and Hagrid sitting at the table with two huge cups of tea in front of them.

Bellatrix was talking and I could see that she had tears in her eyes. She was beautiful even when she cried.

Hagrid got up and knelt in front of her. He brought a hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek as he spoke.

_Hagrid comforting Bellatrix?_

At that point she got up and walked to the door, greeted Hagrid and left. I saw her wipe her last tears as she headed back towards the castle.

I waited until she was out of sight before approaching the door of the hut. I took off the cloak and knocked.

From inside I heard Hagrid's voice as he approached to open the door.

"What is it Bella? Forgot some... " he opened the door, looked at me and turned pale "Hermione? What are you doing here? "

"Hagrid! Tell me why Bellatrix Black just came out of this door? "

"You-you saw her ... she hasn't seen you, has she?"

I shook my head:

"No, but ..." Hagrid, realizing that I wouldn't go away, held up a hand to stop me.

"Come in"

I went into the hut and sat down in the place that Bellatrix had just left empty.

Hagrid sat down in front of me and I crossed my arms waiting for an explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Here is the third chapter, finally the story is really starting! Sorry for the slight delay and see you soon!
> 
> Click the little button below to leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok here is the fourth chapter. I thank those who have added this story among their favorites/followed. Your support means a lot for me!

Hagrid and I were sitting opposite to each other inside his hut.

I just found out that Bellatrix Black, a witch obsessed with pure blood, went every night in the house of a half-giant to confide or just do Merlin knows what.

In short, I could be a bit confused, couldn't I?

For several minutes neither of us said a word. Hagrid looked at the fire in the fireplace looking lost while I was torturing my lower lip with my teeth. A habit I had when I was nervous.

After a while, I heard the iron taste of blood on the tip of my tongue and I decided it was time to say something.

"Hagrid? I think you owe me an explanation ... it had been anyone else I would have minded my own business but ... Merlin, that is Bellatrix Black! She hates whoever isn't a pureblood! What is she doing here every night? " I could barely keep my voice to a normal tone.

"Hermione listen Bella... er I mean ... Miss Black is not as she seems to be, at least not anymore ..." he said looking anywhere but in my eyes.

"I don't understand ..."

"She's having trouble, being a Pureblood is not all roses ... There are also some limitations that she seems to have realized only a short time ago" he explained again avoiding to look at me.

"Hagrid, her sisters are worried, they know that there is something wrong with her" I said trying to catch his eye.

"She knows that and she suffers for this, apart from the rest ..."

"Apart from the rest? What rest? "I asked taking the opportunity.

"I talk too much" he said, shaking his head "Really too much... I said more than I can"

"But Hagrid ..."

"Hermione, I cannot tell you these things. It's not my story to tell "he said finally looking me straight in the eye.

Now I could see clearly his face and it seemed that Hagrid wanted to tell me something, as if he knew that I could somehow fix the situation.

"Tell me what? Who should tell me? "

"Calm down, Hermione" said Hagrid, waving his big hands to stop the flow of questions that was coming out of my mouth.

That was one of the few times when I didn't know what to think. Hagrid was telling me that someone had something to tell me and that someone was probably Bellatrix Black.

I didn't think it was possible, my relationship with Bellatrix was minimal, she used to pick on me and that was it.

"Of all the people, you had to investigate the strange behavior of Bell... Miss Black" Hagrid continued speaking almost in a whisper.

"Hagrid" I said, putting my head in my hands "I'm so confused, I don't know what to do. Please explain the situation because I just don't get it and I really want to help Andromeda... "

"Hermione ..." He took my hand with his and squeezed it until it almost hurt "I wish I could tell you everything, you would understand, you're a smart witch. But I cannot, it is not fair to Bellatrix "

I looked into his eyes and I realized that he wouldn't reveal anything, but he was willing to give me some clues.

"However" he went on "I can tell you something"

"Please Hagrid ..."

"You know that the children of Pureblood families are forced to marry other Pureblood " I nodded "In particular ancient families such as Bellatrix's. However, not all the heirs want to get married with people who they don't love "

"But Bellatrix has always been so proud and eager to carry on the lineage of the Blacks ..." I interjected still not understanding what he was getting at.

"This Hermione, was before she fell in love. It is not a simple crush as happens to those of your age, her feelings are deep and toward a person that her parents will never approve of "

With the last sentence my hopes had risen up over the Astronomy Tower. A person that her parents will never approve of ... could it be possible that I was...? No, no. I was a girl, probably Hagrid meant a Muggle-born boy. Or someone she didn't pick on all the time.

I sighed and asked him another question:

"But how is it possible that she's confiding with you? No offense ...

"None taken... It was the second day of school this year when I was doing an evening stroll along the black lake. In the distance I saw a girl, as I got closer I realized that she was crying and when I recognized Bellatrix, well you can imagine my surprise "

"Yes" I said, nodding.

"I've caught her in a moment of weakness, she didn't even try to send me away and told me everything. Since then she comes here every night, it makes her feel better"

"But what am I to do? Andromeda is my friend and she's really worried for her sister. I just want to help her"

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I've already said too much. Please don't say a word to anyone about what you've heard tonight "

I nodded and got up to leave, but before I reached the door of the hut Hagrid stopped me.

"Hermione, there's a reason why I told you all this. To you and not to her sisters" his little eyes were sparkling " Bellatrix is not the same as before "

With this he motioned for me to leave and I obeyed.

I put my cloak on the way back to the dorm. I felt like my head was going to explode. I had just found out what was tormenting Bellatrix: love problems.

I felt almost relieved, this meant that she wasn't in trouble and wasn't practicing dark magic in the Forbidden Forest.

I didn't know what to say to Andromeda. I couldn't tell her that her sister was in love with a Muggleborn, Hagrid would kill me.

I had to lie, say that I had followed her and that she had gone to the lake black without doing anything shady.

When I got to the dorm I sank down on the bed, exhausted. It had been a long night.

As I fell asleep I dreamed the conversation with Hagrid and then me and Bellatrix alone in Hogsmeade, hand in hand, kissing ...

"Hermione! We're late, Slughorn will kill us! "

"Um ... um ... I'm coming Lily"  
.........................................................................................

With difficulty I got out of bed and got dressed.

In the Great Hall there were only stragglers in a hurry finishing their breakfast.

"What were you dreaming about Hermione?" Lily asked casually as she took a slice of cake.

"Why do you ask?" I asked not knowing what to say.

"Well ... You looked so peaceful, that's why I have not woken you up before ... and then you kept repeating finally" she explained.

"Ah ... I have no idea" I lied "I don't remember what I dreamed"

"Come on!" She said, rising from the table "Let's go"

Together we walked in a hurry towards the potions classroom. When we got there Slughorn was not yet inside.

James and Sirius had already made peace after the quarrel and were trying to cause troubles with their cauldrons while Remus was watching them.

While Lily and I took place in the only remaining free bench, my eyes wandered around the room looking for Bellatrix.

She was sitting two rows in front of me, next to a guy from Slytherin who was desperately trying to make conversation with her.

Normally she would have told him to shut up or fuck off, but now she was ignoring him completely.

We heard the door slam and Bellatrix turned to see if the professor had arrived. Her eyes, however moved immediately on me. This time I met her gaze but it was only for a few seconds because Lily nudged me.

"Ouch! What is it? "

"Did you hear one word of what I said?"

I shook my head.

"Thanks for your attention then ..."

She had no time to repeat the sentence because Slughorn in that moment began the lesson.

"So guys, today will be a special lesson!"

In recent times, the professor seemed to be fixed with this type of lesson. It was simple, he assigned us a potion, and those who did best won a prize and ten points for their house.

"You all know how it works. What you need to do is the awakening potion. It is located on page 43 of your book, good luck to all! "

A few minutes later the room was filled with smoke of every color and odor of any kind. Everyone was working hard but my companions knew that the prize was going to be win by me or Bellatrix.

After about half an hour James' cauldron, who was not far from Lily, exploded, spouting all the potion on the girl.

"You're an idiot, James!"

Everyone else started to laugh until Slughorn called them to order.

"Guys keep your focus, time is running out!"

At the end of the hour I was almost sure I had won. From my seat I could see many cauldrons and no potion approached the green of mine.

"Eh eh eh ... it was a difficult potion, I admit. Almost all of you made a mess!"

He walked over to Bellatrix.

"Mmm ... as usual very well Miss Black! I would say that there is only one person who could have done better "

He walked over to my desk.

"Oooh Miss Granger this is perfect! I decided, today the prize goes to Hermione Granger. Don't take this bad Miss Black, after all, it was a row of three lessons that you won ... "he said to Bellatrix" Ten points to Gryffindor! And now the prize ... "

From his pocket he took a small vial with inside a gold liquid.

"This is Felix Felicis ... known as ..."

"Liquid Luck" I whispered.

"That's right! Use it well " he said giving the vial to me.

"So yesterday you followed her?"

"Yes Dromeda. She only went to the black lake to think ... "

During the day I had prepared a plan. I wanted to ask Andromeda if Bellatrix had ever shown any interest in some guys at Hogwarts.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course Hermione, anything you want"

"Do you know if Bellatrix has never shown any particular interest in some guys?"

Andromeda looked slightly surprised by my question but answered immediately.

"Not that I know" She paused for a moment and then continued, "To tell you the truth she never dated any boy, Pureblood or not. It's strange, many guys have a crush on my sister, but she never deign no attention to them. Some nights I see boys leaving her room, I think she sleeps with them... why do you ask? "

Ok now my hopes were crushed. She likes boys, obviously. I was stupid to think that maybe there was even a small possibility that she could like a Muggle-born girl like me.

But I still wanted to find out who she liked so I could find closure and pretend this whole crush on Bellatrix thing didn't happen.

"Out of curiosity. Sorry Dromeda but I just remembered something important ..."

She nodded and I immediately ran out of the library to the Gryffindor tower.

I finally knew what to do and I had exactly what I needed.

Tonight I would take the cloak of invisibility and drink the Felix Felicis. Then I would go outside Hagrid's hut waiting for Bellatrix so I could talk to her.

I had to act now before all my confidence went up in smoke.

I looked in the trunk for the vial with the potion and looked at it for a moment.

_Please help me!_

Then I drank it all in one gulp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, let me know if you're liking this story so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions about the story feel free to ask them!

I felt like I was in heaven. This was the first impression after I drank the Felix Felicis.

I knew that I had a plan, it was stored in my head like a list: Invisibility Cloak, Hagrid's hut, Bellatrix ...

However, when I put my empty vial of potion in the trunk, everything I had studied in detail changed.

It was as if a little voice in the back of my head was telling me what to do.

I was going to James to ask him to lend me the cloak when suddenly I felt that it would be unnecessary.

I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to intercept Bellatrix as she returned to the castle, but still this voice told me to wait.

I was so indecisive that I kept walking back and forth in front of the fireplace, getting a couple of strange looks from a group of third year Gryffindors that were chatting in the common room.

Eventually, after half an hour the voice decided to let me go and I was immediately out of the castle, on the way to Hagrid's hut.

By then I could see the smoke of the fire when I heard it again.

_The Black Lake, the Black Lake ..._

No, I couldn't waste time listening to that stupid voice. It was dark and Bellatrix would show up at any moment.

But the more I ignored the voice, the more it grew stronger.

_I have to go to the Black Lake..._

After a last uncertain glance to Hagrid's hut I decided to give in and go to the Black Lake.

Over there everything was peaceful and quiet, as usual.

The moon, nearly full, was the only source of pale light which reflected on the water surface.

I started to walk along the shore. The more I walked the more I was convinced it was wrong, I shouldn't have listened to the voice ... I mean, who hears voices?

When I was about to give up, I saw a figure in the distance. At first it was just a shadow, but as I got closer I was able to recognize it.

She was sitting just a few steps from the water, her legs close to her chest and her head resting on her knees. She was watching the small waves crashing on the shore and was deep in thought.

She didn't notice my presence so I decided to stop and watch her for a while. I wasn't staring, just observing…

Her hair was in a ponytail and a few rebellious curl had fallen on her face, creating a striking contrast with the pale skin there. She was so gorgeous…

Shortly after I decided to go over there and make my presence known.

"Bellatrix...?"

She jumped, probably she didn't expect anyone here at this time.

"G-Granger! What are you doing here?" She asked immediately resuming her composure.

"Uhm, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you… I was just taking a walk ... I often come here" I lied.

She seemed to contemplate my face before speaking.

"Sit down if you want" she said pointing at the grass beside her.

I did as she asked and none of us spoke for several minutes. I knew that the potion didn't last forever, so I had to hurry before it expired.

"Bellatrix ... I know that we aren't exactly friends, but I can see that there is something bothering you"

Bellatrix turned her head towards me and I could clearly see that she had been crying again. My heart broke at the sight.

"Hey" I whispered moving closer to her "Shhh ... it's okay. There's no need to cry"

I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards me, her perfume surrounded me and once again I had the impression to be floating in the clouds.

At that point I didn't know what I was doing, it was as if the potion was guiding me, suggesting what to say and what to do.

"You'll see that everything will settle down ..."

"No it won't! Nothing will settle down" said Bellatrix, raising her voice and moving away from me "Nothing at all! And you're only making it worse!"

For a moment I got the impression to have misunderstood everything, but then the potion suggested me how to act.

"Me?"

"Yes you Granger! Why are you a damn Mudblood!?" she screamed and more tears flowed down her face "It couldn't be someone else now, could it! " she asked more to herself than to me "There is full of respectable families, but no! A Mudblood... "

And at that moment I was sure. Hagrid was talking about me. I, not any other Muggle-born. Bellatrix Black had feelings for me, like I did for her. I wasn't dreaming.

I went back close to her and took her hand with mine.

Bellatrix looked at me with tears in her eyes, not understanding what I was doing.

I approached more and more my face to hers, and with my other hand I stroked her cheek gently. Her skin was soft and in contact with mine was cold.

I paused for a moment and then, mustering all my Gryffindor courage, I closed the distance between our lips.

At first Bellatrix didn't move but then her lips began to move simultaneously with mine.

I was kissing Bellatrix Black! She was kissing me back!

I realized in that moment that maybe this thing between us could work. Even with all the difficulties that were to come we could make it work if we wanted this enough.

Reluctantly, I let my tongue caress her lower lip to ask permission to enter. I didn't have to wait for long and at the moment our tongues touched a shiver went through my body.

A groan left Bellatrix's mouth and I slowly pushed her backwards so that she was lying on the grass with me on top of her.

More moans left our mouths but now it didn't matter, her hands were tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, while mine were stroking her face and neck.

When we eventually parted, we were both out of breath.

"Hermione..." she called me and I noticed the use of my name instead of my surname "I ... This ..." she pointed to our linked bodies" This cannot work..."

From her tone it was clear that even she didn't believe her words, so I put my finger on her lips.

"Bellatrix, listen to me, I like you" I said "Since the end of the summer and try to deny it if you don't feel the same way" even I didn't know where I got all that confidence.

Bellatrix stayed still beneath me and so I had another confirmation that she reciprocated my feelings.

"I agree that this is probably wrong, but tell me, did it feel wrong to you? The kiss?" she shook her head "Exactly, it felt so right…"

"But Hermione, you know my parents will never approve of our relationship? If they knew ... "

I shook my head.

"There is no need to tell them tomorrow. No need to tell anyone. I can wait "

"I want to be with you Hermione. You don't know what a torture have been the last few months! At the beginning of the summer ... I was angry with myself, I had just found out that liked a Mudblood, a female Mudblood. Then my sister Andromeda was punished by my father because she was your friend and from that moment my mood was down under the ground because I realized that there was no chance for me…" she began to explain.

"Bellatrix ..."

She sat up and took my hand.

"Things only got worse. The more the time passed, the more I was convinced that my feelings would go away, and the more I was convinced that they would disappear, the more they grew stronger. I knew that my behavior was worrying Narcissa and Andromeda so I decided to get away from them as well, but nothing has changed. One evening I met Hagrid and things went a bit better, he understands me ... "

I nodded, but I decided not to mention my conversation with Hagrid.

"However" she continued "Now the past doesn't matter, we have to decide what to do..."

She turned towards the lake as she thought of some solutions, and I took the opportunity to study her face.

Her expression was serene and, as a result, she was even more beautiful. Her black eyes were still red, but she was no longer crying. More hair had escaped the elastic thanks to the position we had been in and watching her sent another thrill right at my center. Her lips were still slightly red from the kiss we shared and they contrasted with her pale skin even more.

I still couldn't believe it, Bellatrix had changed so much in the last weeks because she had feelings for me ... In one word? Wow!

"Bellatrix ..." I tried to get her attention "I don't care how hard it is, I want to be with you. If you want this to stay a secret, it's fine with me"

"Yes, it's better that way ... I don't care about the other students, what matters is my parents. They mustn't know or they will certainly take me away from you"

After the last sentence she approached to give me a light kiss, but it wasn't really light because as soon as her lips touched mine, my body was filled with heat.

Immediately her tongue asked permission to enter between my lips and I immediately parted them. This time she was pushing me backwards and straddling my hips.

Her hands were tangled again in my hair while I stroked her back, pulling her closer. Our breasts touched and more moans left our mouths.

"Mmm ... Bellatrix ..." I managed to say between kisses.

"What?" she asked resting her forehead against mine while we recovered our breath.

"I think we should get back..."

Bellatrix sighed and stood up. I followed her and together we walked in silence towards the castle.

Our arms were touching, I took her hand with mine, interlacing our fingers.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment..." Bellatrix sighed, clenching my hand.

"You just had to ask" I smiled thinking how things would have been easier.

"Ohh yes... But I thought you were already taken by Peter Pettigrew"

I turned to look into her eyes and saw that she was smiling. I smiled too.

"Sure..."

We arrived at the castle and she let go of my hand. We were crossing the entrance hall when we heard footsteps behind us.

"Troubles..." I whispered.

"Hey you two!" said the voice of a man "Who are you?"

As he got closer I recognized professor Slughorn and sighed in relief because I knew that he wouldn't put us in detention.

"Hermione Granger and Bellatrix Black" Bellatrix answered by my side.

The professor looked at the two of us and a strange expression crossed his face. Well, can you blame him? Everyone knew that the relationship between me and her wasn't good, at least until two hours ago, so it was obvious that he was surprised to see us together.

"Oh well. Actually I had to ask something to you " he exclaimed brightening "You know, next week there will be one of my dinners and of course you both have to come! And you, Miss Granger, feel free to ask Sirius Black if he wants to come too, and of course I also expect your sister Andromeda to be there Miss Black... "

"Of course, Professor" I said "I will ask Sirius"

"Well, well. You'll be there too, won't you? " he asked Bellatrix.

"Yeah, and I think my sister will be happy to come"

"Great. Now go back to your dormitories immediately before someone put you in detention. Good night " he said leaving.

"Good night, Professor" we answered in unison.

When he disappeared from view Bellatrix and I remained silent for a moment.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked.

She nodded and went in for another kiss, which I was happy to give her.

"Good night, Hermione"

"Goodnight"

That night when I lay down on the bed I fell asleep with a big smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions feel free to ask!

_"You chose her! You are a dirty traitor!"_

_The shadows around me were getting closer and closer._

_"How can you still wear Gryffindor's uniform? Aren't you ashamed?!"_

_Now they were near me and in the darkness I could see their faces._

_"No! It's not as it seems ... please!" I whispered as they kept coming toward me._

_"I'm disappointed in you Hermione, I thought we were friends"_

_"Lily listen to me!"_

_I fell to the floor with my back against the wall._

_"I have listened to you all these years, I laughed with you when you were happy and I comforted you when you were sad. Where was she all this time? She was on the other side, she caused your sadness and she'll betray you and then leave you! "_

_"No.. She won't ... NO!"_

_"You are nothing to her, just a little pastime. We have always been close to you but now you have to choose... "_

_"Hermione!"_

"Ah!"

I opened my eyes and found myself wrapped in my blankets in the Gryffindor Tower. It was just a dream. A beautiful dream that had turned into a nightmare.

At first Bellatrix and I were alone on the bed. Then, suddenly, James, Sirius and Lily had entered the room and Bellatrix was gone.

"Are you okay? It took me quite a while to wake you up! "

"Thank you Lily" I said, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Nightmare?"

I nodded and got out of bed to get dressed. The images of the dream kept repeating itself in my mind and my hands were shaking. No, Bellatrix was really changed, I wasn't just a pastime to her, you could see it in her eyes that she was serious about me. The last week had been one of the most beautiful I have ever had. I had spent all my free time with Bellatrix, I was always careful that my friends didn't notice my absences.

"Mione hurry up, I'm starving!"

In the common room we met James and Sirius who were finishing their homework.

"Wow, I see that you are a little behind with your schoolwork " I said looking at them.

"We have been busy last night" James said while gathering the scrolls scattered around the table.

"Yeah ... Some Slytherins gave a weird potion to a second-year Gryffindor. Let's say that we're taking revenge" Sirius explained standing up.

"What have you done?" Lily asked as we walked towards the Great Hall, it was still early and the hallway were empty "I hope it's not Severus again!"

"No ... Well we don't know"

"You don't know who you did this joke to?"

"No, because we've placed Dungbombs out of their dorm and who will come out first this morning will be..."

"AHHHH!"

A scream interrupted Sirius. A little girl was running down the hall, she had very blond hair and blue eyes, if it wasn't for the clothes covered with Dungbombs she could have passed for a princess.

"Wait!" was shouting a Slytherin girl who was trying to reach her.

"No! No one can see me in this state! I swear if I find those who did this... " she said pointing to her uniform.

"Don't worry, we'll return to the dormitory and find your sister. I'm sure she'll be able to perfectly clean your clothes and find the culprit"

The girl nodded and walked away with her friend.

I looked at my companions and while James and Lily laughed, Sirius paled.

"Oh no" he said continuing to walk "Of all the Slytherins she just had to go out first..."

That little girl had something familiar but I didn't see her around often and I couldn't remember her name.

"Sirius, what's wrong? It was not what you wanted?" I asked giving him a nudge with my shoulder.

"Yeah ... no ... not her though! That is Narcissa Black, my little cousin! "

Now I understood why the girl looked familiar, she was Bellatrix's sister! They hadn't much in common as physical appearance, but you could tell that they were sisters.

"Come on Sirius" James said "Cheer up, look! There is your favorite cake "

The Great Hall was almost empty, very few students were having breakfast, one of them was Severus Snape.

"Oh Severus is here!" Lily said "I'm going to say hello" and she walked over to the Slytherin table.

In that moment I saw Professor McGonagall approaching our group.

"Trubles coming" James whispered.

"Potter?"

"Yes professor?" James looked up reluctantly.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. At least not yet ... but I wanted to talk to you about the Quidditch team of this year, can you follow me? "

"Of course" cried James brightening "See you later guys" he said following McGonagoll out the Great Hall.

At that moment I remembered what professor Slughorn had asked me and I took advantage of the absence of our friends.

"Sirius?"

"What?" He said shifting his focus from the cake of blueberries and raspberries.

"Last week I met Slughorn, he said that tomorrow there will be one of his dinners and asked me if you were coming ..."

"No ... No way I'm going to another one of those meetings full of snobs" he said with his mouth full.

"Hey, I'm going to be there! Come on Sirius! It will be fun ... There will also be Andromeda"

"How do you know?"

As usual he must be difficult.

"I guess she'll want to come... and you know that sooner or later you have to go to one of the dinners, he'll make you be there at Christmas, like last year"

Sirius grimaced at the memory.

"Okay ... I just hope it won't last too long"

After I convinced him, Sirius began to tell me all the jokes that he and James had planned and what he wanted to buy during the trip to Hogsmeade next weekend.

But I wasn't paying attention. Bellatrix had just entered the Great Hall, followed by Malfoy and Avery. The Great Hall fell silent while she walked to the Slytherin table.

Her eyes combed the Gryffindor table until they found mine. She smiled and I smiled back at her, then her lips formed the words: Watch your napkin.

"Who are you smiling to?" Sirius asked, looking over his shoulder trying to follow my gaze.

"No one, I was just thinking about the next Hogsmeade trip"

"Thank goodness that next hour is free ... I still have to finish our Divination's homework"

While Sirius ate and complained about the homework I looked at my napkin. Above it had appeared the words "see you later?"

I pulled out my wand and unnoticed hit it lightly on the piece of paper.

Where?

Soon after there appeared a response.

On the wooden bridge, there should be none there.

I looked at Sirius who was finishing eating, then I looked at Bellatrix who was talking with Malfoy and controlling the napkin every few seconds without attracting attention.

Yes I'll be waiting there while you finish eating.

"Ahh I'm bursting" Sirius said "I think I'll go back to the common room. You coming?"

"No ... I'm going for a walk in the open air"

He looked at me suspiciously.

"Ok but I'll be watching you" then he noticed my gaze and added "Just kidding Mione!"

Together we left the Great Hall and I walked calmly toward the wooden bridge.

As expected, the place was deserted, not all students were lucky enough to have a free hour in the first hour of Friday.

I walk to the center of the bridge and my gaze lost in the horizon. From there we had a great view of the black lake.

I realized she had arrived even before I saw her, her scent was recognizable among thousands others.

"See anything you like?" She stopped next to me and placed a light kiss on my cheek.

"Now yes" I answered watching her.

She smiled and gave me a blow with her shoulder.

"Ready for dinner with Slughorn?"

We started to walk towards the other end of the bridge, the one that leaded to the lawn.

"Yes, sooner or later we have to... Andromeda is coming?" I asked thinking about Sirius.

"Yeah she loves it ... why do you ask? Isn't her older sister enough? "

"Of course she is" I gave her a kiss on the lips "I was asking for Sirius, he doesn't like these things"

"Well you can also tell him that no one forces him to come..."

"Bellatrix ..." I started sitting down on the grass.

"Yeah I know, I know... he's your friend and blah blah blah" she smiled and sat down next to me "Anyway, I have more important things to talk about that my dear cousin..."

"Like what?"

Bellatrix looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day, October had left the place to November now and you could feel the winter air.

"There's a trip to Hogsmeade next weekend" I took her hand and started to play with her fingers "I was wondering if you wanted to go there with me... Maybe later than the others because we cannot be seen together, but if you prefer to go with your friends is fine by me. I mean, I understand that maybe you want to go peacefully, without fearing that someone may see us and... "

I approached her and shut her up with a kiss.

"I would love to go with you"

I kissed her again and this time I felt her tongue asking permission to enter my mouth. I parted my lips and fell back on the grass, bringing Bellatrix on top of me. She straddled my hips and my hands tangled in her hair, I loved her hair, it was so soft and curly, just beautiful. Her hands caressed my face and neck before going lower and gently stroke the sides of my breasts, making me moan in her mouth.

When oxygen was missing we parted.

"I think it's time to go back to the castle"

"Yes" I nodded breathing heavily "I'll see you tonight in Slughorn's office"

Xxxxxx

"Wow Hermione! You're beautiful! "

"Thanks Lily"

I had spent more than an hour to get ready for the dinner and finally my hair was arranged.

"I don't understand why you don't date anyone... there are many guys interested in you!"

I blushed slightly and lowered my head to hide it.

"I'm not interested in any relationship, now I have to go. I'm late and Sirius is waiting"

I hurried towards the exit of the dorm and joined Sirius in the common room.

"Finally! We will be the last"

Sirius was dressed in a black suit and at that time I could understand why almost all the girls had a crush on him. He was handsome, he had the noble bearing of all the Blacks, but his gaze was more cheerful.

"James has been named captain of the Quidditch team" he said as we walked.

"Very good, he must be happy ... ok we're here" I put my hand on the handle and looked at him.

" Do I have to?"

"Yes"

I opened the door and we entered.

At the center of the office there was a round table, around which sat a dozen of students. There were two vacancies seats for us, one close to Slughorn and the other close to Bellatrix.

"Ahh Miss Granger, Mr. Black, enter, enter! Take a seat" said the professor above the chatter of the boys.

"Mmm I don't know" Sirius whispered so only I could hear "Close to the professor or to Miss sympathy ... I would say that wins Slughorn, have fun with her"

Sirius took his place next to the professor and I, trying to hide my eagerness, sat close to Bellatrix.

"Well I think we can begin!"

Slughorn clapped his hands and the table was filled with plates full of food. All began to eat and chat while I tried to stare at Bellatrix unnoticed.

She was absolutely wonderful. She wore a dark blue dress with shoulder pads and lace corset. She had picked up some of her curls, while the other part hung down over her shoulders. Her scent was even more intense and made me want to fall asleep with my head resting on her shoulder.

Unfortunately the guy sitting to her other side continued to talk to her, although it was clear that she didn't give a damn of what he was saying.

Without arousing suspicion I put my hand under the table, reaching hers. I took her hand and she crossed our fingers.

"How about you come to Hogsmeade with me?" was asking the guy "We could go to Madam Puddifoot ..."

"No" interrupted Bellatrix.

"Why not? You don't have a boyfriend nor a date for what I heard, I'm a Pureblood so... "

At that point, Bellatrix seemed irritated and I was trying at all costs not to laugh. Bellatrix noticed it and squeezed my hand hard.

"Shut the fuck up, will you? I said no and if you don't stop annoying me I'll hex you into oblivion!"

Then she turned to me and completely ignored the boy.

"You're beautiful you know that, don't you?" I whispered gaining a smile from her.

"Thanks, you too" she squeezed my hand, gently this time.

The evening proceeded quietly, Slughorn asked some questions to each of us and Bellatrix and Sirius pricked each other only once.

"Ohh what is time it" asked Slughorn looking at his watch "Two? Merlin the time has flown! C'mon all out, I didn't think we were so late! "

Sirius walked away with another Gryffindor while I took the excuse of the bathroom to stay behind and spend some alone time with Bellatrix.

"Funny that guy" I said as we walked into an empty corridor.

"Don't remind me he kept flirting with me 'til you arrived..."

I laughed, "Until I arrived? I'd say until you threatened him!"

I smiled and stopped when it was time for us to take different ways.

I approached her and soon her tongue was in my mouth and my hands around her neck.

Her hands went down on my neck and then to my waist and pulled me against her. A groan left our lips when our bodies touched.

I rested my forehead against hers and looked intently in her black eyes, I could see that her feelings were true and were reflected certainly in mine.

"Next Saturday" I gasped catching my breath "We're going to Hogsmeade at five, okay?"

"Yes, by then most students will already be back"

"Goodnight Mione" she said giving me another little kiss.

"Goodnight Bella"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! Did you like it? It sucked? Please let me know


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a big thank you to those who have reviewed, knowing you like this story makes me very happy!
> 
> As usual if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Another fantastic week with Bellatrix was almost at an end. The last two weeks were among the happiest of my life, I don't know how I thought to hate her all these years.

It certainly wasn't an easy relationship. We were forced to see each other only at nightfall and in secret, and I had to constantly lie to my friends. Not that they suspected anything, it was enough to tell them that I was going to the library, which I also did in the other years and no one was asking awkward questions. Well, apart from Sirius.

I don't know what gave him the impression that I had something to hide, but his barbs were always there.

Remus and Lily were aware of my euphoria but preferred to enjoy the "New Hermione" rather than bombard me with questions.

Even Andromeda was very relieved, she had noticed that Bellatrix's mood was totally changed, but it wasn't the same as the other years. Sometimes she cast some spells to the Gryffindors, just to show them who the boss was, however, she didn't torment them as before.

During this week I had discussed with Bellatrix and we came to the conclusion that there was a person who had a right to know, a person who would understand and wouldn't say a word to anyone... Guess who?

Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper. He had been close to Bellatrix during the most difficult weeks, he was concerned for her and helped her. The least we could do was tell him the truth and let him know that we were both happy.

So that Sunday morning, while almost all the other students were in Hogsmeade, Bellatrix and I were directed to his hut, hand in hand.

The day before it snowed and the ground was covered with a thin layer of snow.

"I cannot wait for it to be five..." I sighed looking at the sky that was a pale blue.

"Me too... There's nothing better than a butterbeer on a day so cold"

The winter was just around the corner and although the sun was shining, the wind was cold and the heat didn't warm anything.

We stopped at the door of the hut, from the chimney came a trail of smoke which confirmed the presence of the gamekeeper.

Bellatrix raised her fist to knock and looked at me, I nodded.

Toc-toc-toc.

We heard Hagrid move around as he reached the door:

"Coming, coming!" thundered his voice.

The door opened and the half-giant appeared. Over the clothes he wore an apron and his hands were covered with a pair of kitchen gloves.

"Hello Bella! What a surprise, you're not at Hogs... " then his eyes fell on me "Hermione? "

His eyes kept going back and forth between me, her and our linked hands and in the end he seemed to put the pieces together.

"Come in!"

We sat down at the table and Hagrid placed a tray of huge cookies in front of us.

"I was just making tea..."

He filled three cups and sat down.

"So?" he said "Is there anything you need to tell me?"

"Er, well... I" began Bellatrix "Hermione and I have had the opportunity to talk... and..."

"And now we're together" I concluded taking her hand and laying a sweet kiss on her knuckles.

"But this is great!" said Hagrid, standing up and joining us in a crushing bones hug.

"It's about time, isn't it Bella?"

Bellatrix blushed and I found her adorable.

"How's that going? Have you told anyone yet? "

I shook my head:

"No, you're the first person to whom we say this. We want to avoid gossip so that Bellatrix's parents don't come to know... "

"I understand. Your secret is safe with me! "

"Thank you Hagrid..." Bella said.

"Of course it cannot be easy for you... I mean, you see each other secretly and are always afraid that someone will find out"

"It's not easy, but Hermione is worth it" said Bellatrix looking at me, I smiled softly.

Hagrid looked at our exchange of tenderness, then smiled.

"Don't you go to Hogsmeade?"

From there, the atmosphere became lighter and we stayed with Hagrid until lunchtime.

At about two o'clock we left the hut to go to the Great Hall for lunch. It was late, and besides us there were four other students. Bellatrix decided to sit with me at the Griffindor's table and when a student from Ravenclaw began to point at us and whisper with his friend Bella took out her wand and silently hexed the poor kid. He didn't notice who did it but McGonagall did.

As the professor passed by us to walk the kid to the infirmary she whispered,

"Five points from Slytherin Miss Black"

Bellatrix snorted, "Whatever, he asked for it"

"Bella don't let a stupid boy spoil your mood. A few more hours and we'll be in Hogsmeade!" I exclaimed as we ate "I think I can already feel the taste of Butterbeer"

"You know what I'd like to do?" she filling our glasses with pumpkin juice.

"Whatever you want to do we'll do it together" I said taking her hand under the table.

If we hadn't been in the middle of the Great Hall I would have kissed her instantly.

Her eyes lit up with a mysterious light. I didn't like the look on her face.

"I want to enter in the Shrieking Shack" she smirked.

"Bellatrix..."

She burst out laughing, "Don't tell me you're afraid?"

"Hey! It is the most haunted house in the whole Britain"

"Come on please! You are not going to let me enter the house alone, are you?" she pouts, knowing that I couldn't resist when she did that thing with her face.

"It's a very popular haunted house in the wizarding world..."

"Come on Hermione!" she squeezed my hand "Together?"

I thought for a few seconds but then gave up.

"All right!"

"Thank you!" I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek after making sure that nobody was watching us "What do you say we go over to the wooden bridge?"

The courtyard outside the bridge had become our favorite place to see each other. It was quiet, we had a beautiful view and no one ever hung out there.

We got up and started to walk towards the wooden bridge.

"Uhff! Can I have a kiss now?" she asked sitting on the grass.

"There is no need to ask" I said, sitting on her lap and pushing until she was lying on her back.

Our lips met, slowly at first, then with more passion. She parted her lips to welcome my tongue and they immediately began a battle. Her hands were tangled in my hair, pulling me closer.

I put my right knee between her legs and my hands at the sides of her breasts. I started to massage them softly and she arched her back to meet my touch. She moaned and her hands moved on the small of my back.

I kissed her jaw and her neck, then up to her lips again. We both moaned when she moved up her thigh and rubbed it against my wet core.

"Oh… Bellatrix…"

She started to rock her hips against my leg and I squeezed her breasts.

"Ahhh…" she moaned.

Footsteps interrupted our exchange and I immediately got up and adjusted my shirt and hair.

It was a group of fourth-year Hufflepuffs.

"They're coming back already?" Bellatrix asked, looking at them "What time is it?"

I looked at the sky and noticed that the sun was low and some clouds were now covering it.

"I don't know but it shouldn't be long at five... How much time did we spend making out?" I asked smiling.

When we make it to the courtyard clock we discovered that it was nearly five o'clock.

"Time flies... Come on let's go!"

At the village all was quiet, as expected most of the students had returned to the castle.

In the Three Broomsticks there were only a group of sixth and seventh years Slytherin that was exiting and some professors who were talking with Madam Rosmerta.

"Hey Bellatrix!" said a Malfoy when we passed by them "What are you doing hanging out with a Mudblood?" you could tell that he had probably drunk too much Butterbeer "Come with us instead..." he said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Get your hands off of me Macnair, before I make you sorry your ass ever crawled out of your hole, you worm" Bellatrix hissed "What I do and with whom I do it it's my business and now get out of here "

"Mmm... someone's got her panties in a twist I see..."

Macnair was about to touch her face but one of his companions stopped him:

"You better listen to her Walden. Believe me, you don't want to duel with her and we don't want to pick up your pieces once she's finished with you. You'll thank me in the morning" said the blond guy.

Walden withdrew his hand.

"Well said Lucius. I see that in the end you've got something in your head" said Bellatrix.

The boy nodded and the group left the room. Before the door closed, however, I noticed that the last Slytherin, a brown-haired boy from the seventh year, turned to look at Bellatrix, who meanwhile was approaching the counter. His name was Rodolphus Lestrange I think.

"Two Butterbeers"

We sat at a table and began to sip on our drinks.

"Who was that?" I asked Bellatrix.

"Only a few of the seventh and sixth years... Most of them are stupid goats..."

"You're friends with Malfoy though"

"Yes" she nodded "He is not that bad, helped me pull a lot of pranks as you surely know" she chuckles softly "Sometimes I think my sister Narcissa has a crush on him..." she explained.

"And what about Lestrange?" I asked. I didn't like one bit the glance he shot Bella.

"Which one?"

"The eldest. Rodolphus?"

"He's alright. Kind of sticky sometimes but he's okay. He's going to graduate this year"

I nodded but couldn't say anything else because someone interrupted our conversation.

"Good evening, Miss Black, Miss Granger" Slughorn greeted us approaching.

McGonagall was right behind him and was glancing at us doubtfully.

"Good evening Professor" I greeted him while Bellatrix just nodded.

"How nice to see you together! Look Minerva, my dinners work. I guess you are here as friends? "

"Yes" I said "We were sitting close to each other last week, we discovered we have a lot in common I guess"

McGonagall continued to glare at Bellatrix with, she's never liked McGonagall although she excelled in Transfiguration. I think the dislike is mutual .

Shortly after the teachers returned to the castle and we ended our Butterbeers.

Outside the room the air was cold, the moon in the sky was full and the night was perfect. We took a ride to Honeydukes and Zonko now we just needed to be in one place.

"Mione? What you promised me today?" she asked feeding me one of her pineapples.

"Do we have to?"

By now we were at the fence that surrounded the Shrieking Shack. I sat down on a rock and Bellatrix imitated me.

"You ready to go?" she lifted a hand and moved a curl that had fallen over her eyes.

I shook my head.

"Come on... You know that I would never allow something to happen to my girlfriend"

As soon as the words left her lips she covered her mouth with a hand. I instead brightened.

"So I'm your girlfriend?" I asked with sparkling eyes.

"Er ... Well, we've been together for a while now... and only if you want to be" she said looking at her shoes.

I lifted her chin with one finger.

"I would love to"

She gave me a kiss and continued:

"Then we enter into the Shrieking Shack or not?"

I got up and took her hand, then under the full moon looked at her carefully.

"You're beautiful you know it, don't you?" I said touching her face.

"You too Mione" she gave me a light kiss.

"Bella have I ever said I love you?"

"No, but I love you too"

We kissed again, passing in the kiss all our emotions.

After what seemed like forever we started walking towards the Shack. The full moon was creating weird effects on the white snow and when we were close to the door we heard a loud noise coming from inside, followed by a sort of howl.

"Oh Merlin..." I whispered placing a hand on the doorknob "Are you sure you want to enter?"

She nodded, I knew I had nothing to fear. Next to me was Bellatrix Black, not a mediocre student who didn't know which way to take the wand. We were two of the best students.

"Ok then. Take out your wand"

I extracted it and immediately I created some light:

"Lumos"

Bellatrix opened the door. Inside there was a corridor onto which were faced several rooms. The walls and the floor were ruined, as if a bunch of angry centaurs passed here.

Suddenly we heard the sound of something breaking and a dog barking close to us.

"It came from upstairs..." I whispered, taking her hand in mine to bring her closer to me.

We both looked toward the stairs. Some steps were broken. We took a few steps forward and the door slammed behind us, shutting out the light of the moon.

We stopped in front of the first step and I turned to look at her:

"Bellatrix, we don't have to do this"

"I know Hermione. If you're too scared we can go back to the castle…"

I closed the gap between our lips and started to kiss her again. But soon after we heard the growl of a dog.

I turned around and, standing in the doorway of one of the rooms, there was a huge black dog. His eyes were large and, with the dim light of our wands, I could see that they were focused on me and how I was holding onto Bellatrix as if my life depended on it. Which it kind of did right now.

"B-Bella... do you think that's the... the Grim?" I whispered while the dog was still growling.

"The Grim doesn't exist. That's just a dog" she scoffed.

The dog barked and immediately started running towards us, showing its fangs.

"Move!" Bellatrix screamed to me.

She pushed me aside just before the dog hit me and I fell on my stomach a little further. I felt a piece of wood on the floor cut my cheek.

I heard an agonizing scream and to my horror when I turned I saw that the Grim had bitten Bellatrix and now her leg was bleeding.

"NO!" I shouted to the dog that was about to attack her again.

My screaming didn't stop him but gave Bellatrix the time to raise her wand:

"Stupefy!"

The dog bounced back but it was again on its paws in less than a second.

I got up and picked up my wand, then ran to Bellatrix and shielded her body with mine.

"Impedimenta!"

The dog escaped my spell with a leap and was ready to attack again.

"Expulso!" Bellatrix screamed from behind me.

This time the spell hit the animal but it wasn't enough to make him desist.

He was about to jump forward but before it could I yelled:

"Levicorpus!"

The spell hit the Grim in the chest and sent him directly against the wall, by the noise that it made I deduced that its left front leg was broken. This time it was on the ground and we took advantage to escape.

When we were far away from the Shrieking Shack Bellatrix sat on the ground and I knelt in front of her. The snow was filled with red liquid, blood.

"Oh God..."

I put my hand over the wound and Bellatrix stiffened.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Forgive me" I said with tears in my eyes "I should have been more careful, it was a very bad idea"

By then I had started to cry, the sight of her bleeding wound broke my heart. It was clear that she was in pain, even if she tried not to show it.

"Hermione" she called "Hermione look at me"

I looked up and she smiled weakly.

"It's not your fault, you couldn't know what was inside that house. I don't blame you"

She stiffened again and more blood came out of the wound.

"I have to stop the bleeding" I said looking at her leg "It will burn a little. Are you ready? "

She nodded and bit her lower lip.

Carefully I ripped her pants, the skin around the wound was pale and beautiful. I took my wand and leaned it gently on the cut.

"Vulnera Sanentur" Bellatrix hissed and squeezed the snow with her hands "Vulnera Sanentur"

Slowly the blood stopped coming out and the wound closed.

"It's still very sensitive but at least the blood lost has stopped... I'm sorry" I got up and offered her a hand "Can you stand?"

She nodded and took my hand to help her up from the ground.

"How are you?"

"Well, apart from the fact that the bite burns like hell and my clothes are full of blood, I would say well"

I felt tears fall down my cheeks and immediately she wiped them with her fingers.

"Hey, it's not your fault ... come on, let's go back to the castle"

After a lot of time we made it to the castle. Bellatrix was limping slightly, but otherwise she was fine.

"Are you sure you can walk by yourself?" I asked when we entered.

"Don't worry, I'm not dying!"

I gave her a light kiss and stroked her cheek "See you tomorrow"

She nodded and headed towards her dorm, outside, meanwhile, it had started to snow again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly longer than the others. I hope you enjoyed it, press the button below and let me know!


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual I thank those who left Kudos/comments. I love to hear your opinion on my story!

The next morning I woke up because bad headache. I slept badly that night, I kept thinking about the Shrieking Shack, Bellatrix's wound and the dog...

What if the animal that attacked us yesterday was truly the Grim? What if it was an omen of death?

No, it wasn't possible. First, I think the Grim doesn't really exists. Second, even if it was real, it's just an omen, it doesn't attack people... does it?

"Lily?"

Lily was hopping on one foot around the dorm while searching for a sock.

"Oh you're awake Mione. I was going to wake you up... "

"Lily, do you think the Grim exists?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes.

"You know what I think of Divination, it is a bunch of nonsense. I mean, what sense does it stand staring at a crystal ball for hours and then... What you got there?"

While I was changing Lily had seen the scratch that went from under my right eye to the corner of the mouth. It was nothing deep but it was noticeable.

_Think quickly, think quickly..._

"Er... yesterday I couldn't sleep and went for a walk. I slipped and cut myself... it's nothing serious" Well it wasn't a total lie at least.

In the common room we joined the boys who were about to go to breakfast.

Remus was much paler than usual, he looked sick and had two large black circles under his eyes.

"Hello boys" said Lily.

James was immediately at her side. Lately he never left her alone, maybe he had a crush on her...

"What did you do to your arm, Sirius?"

I turned to the guy who had just come down the stairs and saw that he had scratches on his left hand and a bandage on his arm.

"It's nothing Lily" said James "He just picked up a knock while we were training with some new spells"

"Hermione, what have you done to your cheek?" Wormtail said as he trotted by my side.

Sirius looked at me and his eyes widened in horror. For a moment I thought I had seen that look before. Then his face became a mask, his hand clenched into a fist and began to tremble.

"Sirius, what's wrong?"

The boy didn't answer and continued to make his way to the Great Hall.

"What's up with him?" Lily asked when Sirius was out of sight.

"I don't know" said James "He's this way 'til last night"

"It is true" interjected Wormtail "He hasn't said a word since we got back from the … from training ..."

We found Sirius sitting at the beginning of the Gryffindor table, I sat down in front of him. The others tried to engage him in conversation about Quidditch, but the boy continued to stare at his plate.

At one point, his eyes focused on a point behind my shoulder and he began to growl like a dog. James put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"What are you looking at mate?" James looked in the same direction.

I turned in time to see Bellatrix enter the Great Hall. Compared to yesterday she walked better, if someone didn't know she was hurt nobody could notice she was limping slightly. For a second her eyes met mine and a hint of a smile appeared on her lips, then she noticed that Sirius was staring at her and had begun to tremble again, and her smile turned into a scowl.

I followed her with my eyes until she sat down at the Slytherin table. Near her was Andromeda, I saw Bellatrix leaning forward to whisper something in the girl's ear and soon the girl got up and came towards us.

"Hi" she said when she reached us.

"Hello Dromeda"

She put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and the boy stiffened.

"Sirius, what happened to your arm?"

He did not answer his cousin's question and continued to stare into his empty plate.

"Sirius, do you hear me?"

This time he raised his head and looked at her with fire in his eyes.

" Why don't you ask your sister what she did to her leg?" His voice was cold.

I glared at him, then he got up from the table and strode out of the Great Hall.

Andromeda looked at us confused:

"Did I say anything bad?"

James shrugged and she returned to the Slytherin table. I followed her with my gaze and noticed that Bellatrix was looking in our direction, probably she had followed the whole scene.

My companions went back to talk but I was too excited to join their conversations.

Why Sirius had looked at me so coldly? Why should Bellatrix know of his injury? She's been with me the whole time yesterday. And above everything else, how did he know that she hurt her leg?

No, he cannot have noticed that she limped. If I hadn't known I wouldn't have noticed it myself...

During the lessons, I couldn't concentrate. I kept asking myself the same questions and my eagerness to talk with Bellatrix increased every minute.

I could see her, she was just a few rows in front of me. I often found myself staring at her enchanted, the way she took notes and moved the feather between her fingers as she settled her curls.

Fortunately history of magic was the last lesson of the day. Lily was falling asleep and I was counting the seconds that were missing at the end of the hour.

When Professor Binns said we were free to go, almost all students yawned before collecting their things and leave.

"Hermione?"

"Go ahead Lily. I have to go to the library... I'll see you in the common room "

She walked away joining James and Sirius. So the only people left in the classroom were Bellatrix and I.

"Have you noticed anything weird about my cousin's behavior?" She asked me as we walked, as usual, to the wooden bridge.

"Yeah... I've been thinking about it all day. He hasn't spoken to me since this morning… I don't know what happened to him" I said.

Bellatrix said nothing and I decided to continue.

"Bella... I'm worried" my eyes were lost in the beautiful view the bridge offered "He knew of your leg... by the way, how are you?"

"Better now. It doesn't burn anymore"

Her voice was cold and it reminded me of the old Bellatrix. My heart sank a little at the thought.

I turned to face her, her expression was unreadable.

"Bellatrix... is there something wrong?" I took her hand and forced her to look into my eyes "You know you can tell me everything that's on your mind"

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"You said that he knew of my injury..." I nodded urging her to continue "And he refuses to talk to you even if the last time you saw each other everything was normal" I nodded still not understanding what she was getting at.

"What do you mean?"

"This morning he had a bandage on his arm... the left"

"Yes. James said he hurt it while training with some new spells"

Bellatrix was again lost in her thoughts.

"Bella..."

She shook her head and, to my great relief, she smiled.

"Okay it was a stupid idea. Listen Mione, I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"Okay"

"I have the impression that Andromeda suspects something"

"What?"

"About the two of us. She's asking me awkward questions these days"

I sighed and decided that maybe that was the right time to tell her that Dromeda had confided with me in the difficult weeks.

"Bellatrix... Do you remember the first few weeks of school?" she nodded sadly.

"Is there something I should know?"

"Well, you see... in that period Andromeda was very worried about you. She spoke to me of your weird behavior, and that you went out every night, she told me that you were not talking to anybody. I knew it was true and I was worried, even then I had feelings for you even if I couldn't imagine that you returned them"

I smiled and gave her a little kiss on the lips.

"One evening I decided to follow you out of the castle, to see where you were going" she raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I thought you were directed to the forbidden forest, instead you went to Hagrid. I waited for you to come out and then I went in myself. Hagrid wouldn't tell me anything at first, but eventually he gave me some clues... about your love problems. Thanks to him and a few words of Dromeda I gathered the courage to talk to you about it. Remember the vial of Felix Felicis that I won from Slughorn?" she nodded" The night I confessed my feelings I had drunk it"

I waited in silence for her reaction.

"You used that potion to talk to me?" I was afraid that she was angry "But you could have used it for more important things!"

I smiled and hugged her.

"You are important to me Bellatrix"

She gave me a kiss "Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could tell about our relationship to Andromeda. She knows how to keep a secret"

"Sounds good to me. Shall we go? "

"N-now?"

"Of course! How much do you want to wait? Come on, she will be at the library for sure"

I took her hand and began to drag her in the direction of the library. As expected Andromeda was sitting at her usual table in the corner and was reading a book.

I hid behind a shelf and gave a light push to Bellatrix.

"Hi Dromeda"

The girl looked up and greeted her sister with a big smile.

"Hello Bella!"

Andromeda waited for almost a minute and when she realized that Bellatrix wasn't going to speak she began.

"You have something to tell me? It is not for your scarf again, is it? I already told you that Narcissa has accidentally stained with ink... "

"It's not for the damn scarf!" she interrupted her and looked nervously over her shoulder.

"Look Dromeda... I... found someone. Someone special"

"Ah! Really? "Andromeda yelled "Who is he? Who is he? "

"Shhh! Hush! Nobody has to know about this, do you understand?"

"Who's the lucky guy?" she asked exited.

"Well... it's not a guy" she explained.

"It's a girl! I knew it Bella! I knew that you wouldn't fall for a male! You're too strong and boys are just too stupid for you!" she cried more and more excited.

"For Merlin's beard Andromeda! Do not shout!"

"Come on Bella don't keep me hanging, I know you're stalling" she said, lowering her voice.

"I know I can trust you and you will not tell anyone... it's still a secret and it's not easy..." Bellatrix began fidgeting with her fingers.

"Bella, who is she?"

"She's... well..."

At that point I decided to take Bellatrix out of her misery and come out.

"I am"

Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw almost hit the floor.

"He-Hermione?"

I walked over to Bellatrix and took her hand.

"You will not tell anyone, will you Dromeda?"

The girl nodded quickly.

"So you're who makes my sister happy... I'm so happy for you! Bella's mood has totally changed thanks to you, Hermione! Wow... I have to admit that I suspected something like that!" then she turned serious all of a sudden "That's why Sirius was so cold with you this morning? He knows and doesn't accept your relationship? What a moron…"

Bellatrix looked at me and I shrugged.

"No, he doesn't know anything. No one knows about us" I explained.

We talked with Dromeda for a while, then Bellatrix and I went for a walk by the black lake.

"Do you think Sirius truly suspects something?" I asked as I threw stones into the water trying to make them bounce.

"I hope not, we have always been careful. And even if he came to know he wouldn't say anything to my parents, after all he is the rebel and he knows what it feels like. Rather he would try to change your mind saying that I'm evil or something"

I threw a last stone in the lake and went to the point where she was watching me.

"Bellatrix"

I hugged her tightly. I know that maybe it was too early, we had been together for only a month, but my feelings were clear to me.

"I love you"

She walked away from me slightly to allow me to look into her eyes.

"I love you too "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the eighth chapter! Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those who left a comment, you make my day.
> 
> If you have any questions feel free to ask.

A week had passed since Bellatrix and I decided to reveal our relationship to Andromeda. She was thrilled, Dromeda had no prejudice against Muggle-borns and was glad to see that Bellatrix was finally happy.

Things were progressing quite well, the only person who was giving me some trouble was Sirius. He continued to avoid talking to me unless it was absolutely necessary, and when our eyes met by accident he wrinkled his nose while looking coldly at me.

Bellatrix kept telling me to leave him alone, that he had probably his panties in a twist, but his behavior worried me. He had always been one of my best friends and I didn't understand what could have made him change so suddenly.

Right now I was seated on top of the Astronomy tower with Bellatrix lying next to me with her head on my lap. The holydays were close and the Christmas spirit could be felt everywhere in the castle thanks to the beautiful decorations.

"Bellatrix"

"Yes?" she said without stopping playing with my fingers.

"Tonight I want to talk to Sirius"

She sighed and smiled.

"You really care about him, don't you?" I nodded.

"Yes, he's one of my best friends since practically forever. I want to know what's wrong with him" I explained.

"But tonight it's Friday night... I was thinking maybe we could spend it together" she took a lock of my hair and began to play it.

"Yes, it won't take long... wait for me on the shore of the Black Lake and for nine o'clock. I should be finished by then"

"Okay" she whispered before placing a feather light kiss on my lips.

I closed the distance between us and started to kiss her deeper, but then the sound of footsteps and shout made us jump apart.

"Bellatrix! Bellatrix! "

A blonde girl was running in our direction.

"Bella, I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said stopping in front of us.

Her blue eyes stopped on me before Bella got her attention.

"What happened Cissy?"

"Sirius told me to get you" said the younger of the Blacks sisters.

"What?"

"Yeah, I don't know what he wants. He's in the Great Hall"

Bellatrix looked at me and I nodded. Together we made our way to the Great Hall, but as we crossed the courtyard entrance, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

The black dog was there, in the snow, and was growling at us.

"Bellatrix..."

"Narcissa go inside!"

"What is a dog doing here?" she asked.

"Get back in the castle! Cissy do as I say!"

The girl began to run away and as soon as she disappeared inside the castle the dog came up to us.

I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him.

"Bella... it is possible that it's truly the Grim?"

I took her free hand and pulled her further away from the dog who was growling at us as he slowly moved closer.

"Don't be silly Hermione, that's not the Grim. STUPEFY! "

The spell caught the dog by surprise and hit it in the chest, throwing it against the wall. He got up after a few seconds and ran away.

"Merlin... come on, let's go before it comes back"

"Bella! Where's the dog?" Narcissa was waiting for us out of the Great Hall.

"He's gone Cissy... So, where is Sirius?"

"I don't know" said her sister "He should be here"

"Well then I guess it wasn't anything important then... Granger, we have a job to finish" she said to me.

"Hurry up then Black, I have other things to do"

In front of other people we acted like this, we didn't want to arouse suspicions.

The rest of the day passed quietly. At lunch Lily and James told us that they were a couple now, not that it caught us by surprise, we knew it would happen sooner or later.

That evening I was in the common room, Lily and James were talking on a couch, but Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

"James?"

"Yes Mione?" he said.

"Do you know where Sirius is?"

"No ... but I have the Marauder's Map, take a look"

He pulled out the map from his pocket and handed it to me.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

Gradually, the castle appeared before my eyes and I began to turn the pages looking for Sirius. On the shore of the Black Lake I noticed Bellatrix's name which was walking, I stared at it for a while and when I turned the page Sirius appeared in the entrance courtyard.

"Thank you James"

I gave him the map and started running toward where I had seen Sirius. I saw him right away in a corner of the yard, he was sitting on a bench and was watching the sky covered in clouds.

"Sirius"

He looked at me.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

"I came to talk to you. It's been a week since you started acting like this"

He stood up and walked over to me.

"I'll answer you if you will answer my question first... Why her? Why her, Hermione?"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" he yelled making me flinch.

I backed up again until I found myself against the wall. He knows.

"...Do you think that's the Grim...? Don't be silly, the Grim doesn't exist" he continued.

"H-how...?"

"How do I know, Hermione? I am the dog! I am an Animagus and I saw your revolting love scene! Why Bellatrix Black? "

Now everything was clear to me, I just have to try to explain it to Sirius.

"I love her" I whispered.

"And do you think she feels the same way for you? My cousin doesn't know love, let alone feeling it toward a Mudblood!"

"You know nothing" I growled, Bellatrix had warned me that this could happen. I was not going to let him intimidate me.

"Do I not? And what do you think will happen next? You will be hurt, both of you. Hermione I am your friend, I want the best for you" he said putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't know what is best for me"

I shook his hand off and started running towards the Black Lake, I had to find Bellatrix.

"Wait!"

I could hear footsteps behind me while Sirius was trying to reach me. In the distance I could see Bellatrix's silhouette near the water.

"Bella" I said when I was close to her.

She could see the shocked expression on my face and she hugged me.

"What happened honey?" she whispered softly "YOU!" she yelled detaching from me and noticing Sirius "What have you done to her?"

"Me?" Sirius replied "What have I done? I'm not the one who seduced her!"

"Seduced? Are you kidding me? I love Hermione" said Bellatrix.

"Sure you do, Bellatrix" Sirius replied "And tell me, have you thought about what to say to your parents? What will they say when you present them not only a Muggle-born, but a girl also?"

"This isn't any of your business, Sirius" Bellatrix said coldly.

"Yes it is my business! Hermione is my friend, and you'll hurt her! Your parents will never accept your relationship and you think she" he pointed to me "will be happy when you'll eventually have to mar... "

"Don't you dare" hissed Bellatrix.

"You know that it's true. It's our fate, I'm just trying to protect Hermione, something that you're not doing"

Bellatrix bit her lower lip 'til I could see a bit of blood.

"We are happy Sirius" I said.

"For now"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend? I'm sure she knows what I mean... I'm going now, I think I have given you something to think about" he turned and started to walk away.

"Sirius" Bellatrix called him.

"Don't worry Bellatrix, I will not tell anyone" he said "Trust me, I know what it feels like to have a secret like this" then he disappeared into the night.

Bellatrix sat down near the water and a couple of tears flowed down her face. I sat beside her and put my arm around her shoulders.

"Bella... don't cry, it's okay"

"No, it's not. Sirius is right, my parents will never approve"

"There is no need for them to know... we can be just me and you, together" I whispered.

"No... it's your right to know" she took a deep breath before speaking "My parents want me to marry Rodolphus Lestrange"

When the words left her lips they poured over me like a bucket of cold water. Bellatrix was supposed to marry a Pureblood, it was the fate of the Blacks. How could I forget about this? How could I be so foolish to think that one day we'd be able to live together peacefully? It was what she was bound to do and we can't live a lie for the rest of our lives.

My arm fell from her shoulders and I walked away from her.

"Hermione..." she whispered, more tears streamed down her face "Hermione I love you"

This time I didn't say it back, I couldn't find the strength in me to say it back. We didn't have a future, there was no chance for us. Maybe it was better to end it now, before the feelings got too deep.

"Hermione please..."

"When?" my voice was cold and it surprised even me.

"I-I don't know... I think when I finish school..."

"You-you knew? And you've been with me all this time. How could you not tell me? "I whispered and I was no longer able to hold back the tears. Nor look her in the eyes.

"Hermione, it's not like this, I don't want to marry Lestrange!" she said, trying to take my hand.

"And your opinion matters in all of this? I've seen how Lestrange looks at you! He'll not think twice about marring you!" I shouted through the tears and walked away again.

"Hermione, I love you. I'm willing to do anything, even run away with you when we finish school. I have so much money, my late uncle left me a fortune, we can go wherever we want!" she pleaded.

"Bellatrix..."

"Please don't throw away everything we have" she pleaded.

At that point I didn't know what to do. I loved Bellatrix too much to give up on her like that.

"Hermione, you have to believe me. I love you"

She looked at me with pleading eyes and I was no longer able to deny it.

"I love you too Bellatrix, so much" she took a sigh of relief "But I can't ask you to choose between me and your family"

"I don't care about my parents. I hate them. They're controlling monsters"

She took me in her arms and we kissed. In that moment I knew I would never be able to let her go, no matter how difficult or painful it would be, we'd be together. We were meant for each other.

"What will you do Bellatrix?" I asked her when we parted.

"I don't know yet, but we don't have to think about it now... we still have a long time"

I nodded and we laid down on the perfectly white snow. Her head was resting on my shoulder and I was running my fingers through her curls.

We sat in silence in that position for a long time, until I decided to speak again.

"What do you think Sirius meant?" I asked.

Bellatrix raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. She always did this when she didn't understand what someone was getting at.

"Earlier" I added "When he told us that he knows what it feels like to have a secret like ours"

"I don't know Mione. Sirius has always been the rebel of the family, starting from the fact that he is a Gryffindor"

She wrinkled her nose and I hit her lightly on the arm.

"Hey!"

"You know I'm kidding" she laughed as she stood up.

"You better be" I said mimicking her movements and putting my arms around her waist "I love you Bella" I added.

"I love you too Mione" she said stroking my hair "I love you too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end of the ninth chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, push that little button below and leave a review!


	10. Chapter 10

"This is fantastic!" said James on the following Sunday "Today we're going to Hogsmeade and then we're on holiday!"

The Christmas holidays were approaching, the last lesson on Friday passed very slowly, but now school was almost over and everybody was excited.

"We know that James, you've been shouting it for a whole week now." Lily said, ruffling his hair affectionately.

We were heading towards the small town near the castle, Sirius would join us later, I don't know why, Remus wasn't very well and I had to meet with Bellatrix, secretly, just outside the village.

Sirius had started to talk to me but things were not like before. We had avoided talking about Bellatrix, her cousin had become a taboo subject even when others mentioned her.

Two hours passed quickly and soon I made up an excuse to get away from them and go to the point where I was to meet Bella.

I was walking down a side street when I saw a familiar head covered with black hair with red and gold scarf that covered half his face coming towards me.

What was Sirius doing here?

"Sirius!" I called him "Sirius!"

He stopped and looked at me in the face.

"Hermione... I guess you're going to see my cousin" he said bitterly.

"Sirius..."

"Don't deny it, I know you're going to her. I saw her in the wood before, she was going in this direction" he said, pointing to the forest behind him "Hermione, you know how I feel about this"

"Sirius, who I'm with is none of your business" I snorted.

"I know. I'm just giving you some friendly advice, stay away from Bellatrix. I've known her for a lot longer! Bellatrix is only interested in the Dark Arts, she studies them in secret. She feels no love, she's only looking for a good fuck!" He exclaimed.

I waited before answering. I knew that part of what he said was true, Bellatrix had a penchant for the Dark Arts and before she started going out with me she had a lot of boys going in and out of her room, but I knew a side of her that was hidden to everybody else.

"It's not true, I'll tell you once and for all Sirius. Pay attention because I'm not saying it again" I took a deep breath and then continued "Everyone has love inside themselves, and don't tell me that Bellatrix hasn't. It all depends on how much love you decide to give. I love Bella with all my heart. And I don't care what she has done in the past, I know that she likes the Dark Arts, but she loves me, she changed for me, everyone noticed it, but nobody knows why. Sirius... She cares about me"

Sirius was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Behind his black eyes I could almost see that he was thinking hard, I don't know what, but it was something important.

"Hermione..." he whispered.

"Are you okay, Sirius?" I asked approaching and putting a hand on his shoulder "Sirius, I can see very well that something is bothering you, you can tell me"

He sighed and was silent.

"Sirius, listen, I know that in recent weeks we have had our problems, but you can tell me what is upsetting you. It's safe with me, you know my secret, so I would never say yours to anyone"

He looked at me straight in the eyes and I could see the sadness in his glare.

"Hermione... it's so hard..."

I had never seen Sirius in this state. He was always a guy so cheerful and lively.

"Sirius ..."

I slowly walked over and hugged him, he returned the hug surrounding me with his arms.

"Hermione... I can no longer keep everything inside, you have Bellatrix so I think you can understand this better than anyone else-" he whispered.

"Let it go, I will not tell anyone" I assured him as I walked away a little.

"Not now" he said.

"Why not? There's no one else here..."

"Bellatrix's coming. I suppose you want to spend some alone time with her before the holidays " he pointed to a spot behind my shoulder and in fact Bella was approaching.

"We're not done talking about this"

He sighed, "I know"

"We'll continue in the common room" he gave me a weak smile.

"Hey hello Mione"

Bellatrix circled my waist with one arm and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Hi Bella" I greeted her softly.

"My cousin is not disturbing you with his talk about me being a dark witch or bullshit like that, is he?" she asked sourly.

"Bella this is not the time" I said knowing that from her sentence she could start another argument and Sirius wasn't in the mood for it.

"As you wish"

Bellatrix looked at her cousin and realized that there was something wrong.

"I'll leave you alone" Sirius said as he passed us "See you in the common room Mione"

I nodded and he walked away.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked as we walked towards the woods.

"I don't know yet, I was trying to find out... before you came" I said hitting her arm playfully.

"Excuse me Miss Granger if I want to spend some alone time with my girlfriend before returning home for the holidays and not seeing her for two weeks!" she said smiling.

"You're forgiven Miss Black. But just because I'm here for the same reason!"

We got to the point where the forest began. It was isolated, nobody ever went there. Perfect for a meeting between me and Bella.

I sat in the fresh snow and Bellatrix cast a spell on our clothes so that they would remain warm and dry.

We laughed and joked for more than an hour, then silence fell between us.

"Come here Bella" I said, making room for her to sit between my legs.

She leaned back against my chest, I leaned against the tree behind me and put my arms around her stomach. She put her hands over mine and rested her head on my shoulder. I kissed a point just below her right ear and I felt her shudder.

"I'll miss you" I stroked her hair, passing my fingers through her beautiful curls.

It was true. I would miss everything about her, everything. Her hair, her scent, her eyes and the warmth of her body against mine.

How am I going to spend two weeks without seeing her?

"I'll miss you too Mione, so much"

She turned her head slightly and kissed me tenderly on the lips.

There's another thing that I would miss about her: her lips.

Her red, soft, sweet lips.

"Will you write me Bellatrix?"

"Every day Hermione, every day. You will get tired of my letters" she smiled.

"I could never get tired of you"

We exchanged another kiss, this time more heated. I felt her licking and sucking on my lower lip, begging for entrance. She nibbled on it and I moaned in response, I opened my mouth and ours tongues began a fight. My hands tangled in her hair as I pushed her onto her back, straddling her. I slowly caressed her cheek with one hand and then lower until I reached her chest. Once there I squeezed her left breast and trailed kisses down her neck.

She moaned loudly and I started opening the buttons of her blouse. She shuddered when I traced her black bra with my fingers.

"Ah…"

She moaned when I squeezed her breast through the thin lace of her bra. Suddenly she changed our positions so that she was straddling my hips. We shared another heated kiss as her fingers went up my shirt 'til she reached my breasts and squeezed them.

"Bella…"

I almost screamed as she pinched my nipples through my bra.

"It's almost time to go you know that, don't you?" said Bellatrix as she stood up.

In fact it was dark and probably the return time had long since passed.

"You're such a tease!" I nudged her then continued "I wish time would just stop right now"

I approached her and trailed some kisses down her neck.

"If you keep doing this we are not going back to the castle..." she said.

"You're right" I kissed her earlobe "If McGonagall sees us we're in trouble"

We walked very slowly toward Hogwarts, only stopping when it was time to part.

"Mione" she lifted my chin and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear "Mione, you know that I love you"

I nodded.

"I love you too Bellatrix" I whispered.

"I will write you as soon as I get home, I promise"

"Yes, it's only two weeks" I smiled weakly.

She walked over and touched my lips with hers. At first the kiss was shy, then it became more passionate.

"Now we really have to go" I said as I resumed my breath.

"I love you Bella"

"I love you too Hermione "

In the common room I found Sirius sitting next to James, they were talking about the holidays.

"Sirius" I said moving closer.

The boy looked up and smiled when he saw me, it was the first real smile since that night in the Shrieking Shack.

"Hello Mione"

"James, can I borrow Sirius for a moment?"

"Of course Mione!" he hit him with a shoulder.

We climbed in the dormitory of the males of the sixth year, luckily it was empty so no one would have interrupted us this time.

"You can trust me" I said as the door closed behind me.

"I know Hermione, and that is why I decided to tell you my secret" he took a deep breath "Do you remember last week? When I said to you and Bellatrix that I know what it means to have a secret like yours?" I nodded "I can no longer keep everything inside and you're the only person who can understand me, who can understand us... Hermione, I'm in love "

I stared at him in shock.

"W-with who?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"I won't"

"I'm in love with…" he closed his eyes as he said the name "With Remus"

I continued to stare at him in shock, my jaw almost touched the floor.

"R-Remus? You mean Remus Lupin?"

"Yes" he nodded "We've been a couple for almost a month"

"Wow... well, I cannot say I'm not surprised"

"Hermione ..."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. On second thought, our two secrets are very similar " I said.

"At least I'm not with a Slytherin"

"Sirius" I warned him.

"I know, I know. I was just kidding" then his expression turned serious all of a sudden "Hermione I understand that your feelings for Bellatrix are strong and that my cousin makes you happy. It's the same thing for me and Remus, as a friend I have to tell you something important. I know exactly how Bellatrix feels, she is exactly in the same position as mine. Our parents will never approve of this and at this point I don't really care anymore. She does. You have to stay close to Bellatrix, no matter what happens, she's never been so happy, losing you will destroy her"

"Sirius ..."

We heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"Someone's coming. Remember what I told you Mione, Bellatrix is exactly in the same situation as me, I know how she feels"

"Thank you, Sirius"

"Thank you Mione, I feel better now that I told this to someone" he smiled.

"Hey are you done?"

James and Wormtail entered the dormitory.

"Yes ... I was just going. See you all tomorrow "

The train trip proved to be shorter than I expected. I hadn't seen Bellatrix since the night before and I already missed her.

"Hermione you forgot your scarf!"

"Thank you Lily" I said as we descended from the train.

The station was crowded, parents were embracing their children and the noise was incredible.

My eyes wandered through the crowd until it came to rest on who I was looking for.

Bellatrix was close to her sisters and was looking around. Next to her stood a tall, impressive man that I recognized as Cygnus Black thanks to the photos that were often seen in the Daily Prophet, he was a big piece in the Ministry. A woman was embracing Narcissa, she had curly hair a bit lighter than Bella's but it had the same luster, she must be Druella Black.

Bellatrix's eyes found mine and I smiled at her, she smiled back but then it was her turn to greet her parents.

"Hermione honey!" exclaimed my mother as she saw me "I'm so happy to see you again! Hello Lily"

Next to us Lily was greeting her parents, mine and hers were both muggles and for this reason she and I would be seeing each other sometimes during the holidays.

"Come on let's go! We haven't much time, I promised your Aunt Rose we'd get there for dinner. You know that we're stopping at her place for Christmas right? There will be all the relatives" she said excitedly.

"See you Lily" I greeted her.

"Goodbye Mione! I'll write you!"

We walked to the car while my mom continued to babble about Aunt Rose.

These will be some long holidays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, push the button below to let me know!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with a new chapter for my dear readers! I wanted to thank those who reviewed this story , you make my day guys, really!

Toc-toc-toc .

I was sitting on the bed in my room at my Aunt Rose's house . Well, it wasn't completely mine, truth was that I shared it with her daughter, my cousin Kimberly .

At that moment I was alone and, as I often did , I was thinking about Bellatrix .

My girlfriend had kept her promise, she had written to me every day and I'd happily answered all her letters. I missed her so much...

The night I slept with her letters under my pillow before sleeping and I the sniffed them to catch a bit of her unique fragrance. Obviously Bellatrix would never know this, I absolutely wasn't going to tell her.

Soon I was supposed to go down for Christmas dinner but a slight beat on the glass of the window interrupted my thoughts .

There, in the middle of the blizzard, was a black owl that I had learned to recognize instantly.

It was a rare bird that Bellatrix had gotten as a gift for her fifteenth birthday, she had named him Sherman.

I ran to the window and opened it immediately, as every time he brought a letter from her, my heart was racing.

Sherman had a large rectangular package attached to his left paw. I took a cookie from the table and gave it to the owl while I took the package.

Before opening it I took the gift and the letter that I had prepared for Bella and tied them to Sherman's paw.

"Tell Bella I love her" I whispered even though I knew that it was impossible for the owl to say words.

The owl hooted before heading back to Black manor.

Slowly I opened the letter that was on top of the pack and the beautiful calligraphy of Bellatrix came in sight:

Dear Hermione,

I miss you. I know these two are not very original as first words , but lately my letters to you start all the same way. Never thought before that I'd hope that the holidays would end quickly , but obviously you've proved me wrong, again. I cannot wait to see you at school, even if it's just to steal hidden glances at you during History of Magic. We are spending the holidays at Sirius's place , I don't know what happened or if you have something to do with it, but his behavior towards me has changed. It seems that finally he has begun to accept our relationship. I was very happy yesterday when my parents told us that we were spending the holidays at my uncles house, at least that would give me a break from Rodolphus Lestrange . The guy is starting to get really on my nerves, I can't stand him . However, I hope you're having fun at your aunt's house , from what I understood, it seems that your relationship with your cousin is very deep . I'm glad you have someone to talk to even when I'm not there with you. I hope you'll like the gift , we talked about it a couple of weeks ago and you seemed enthusiastic, so I decided to give it to you. Hope you're having a good holiday .

I love you, Bellatrix .

P.S : Sirius and Andromeda send you their greetings .

I smiled when I read the letter, how I loved Bellatrix...

I took the gift and began to unwrap it . My eyes filled with joy when the cover of the book came in sight:

Transfiguration: The Middle Ages .

It was a rare book that very few pureblooded families possessed, this had to be a book of great value.

It spoke of the greatest witches and wizards who had distinguished themselves in the art of Transfiguration during the period of the Middle Ages. Some of the spells in this book were really useful but the teachers didn't teach them at Hogwarts because it was ancient magic. Really powerful but very difficult to perform.

Once I had mentioned the book and Bellatrix had told me that they had it in the family library .

In the paper of the package I noticed a small letter:

I hope you like the book . I found it in the library at Black Manor . It was all dusty so I suppose no one has read it for years. I thought you might like it .

I love you, Bellatrix .

I didn't have time to browse through the book because I heard footsteps up the stairs. I hid the letter and gift in a hurry and seconds later Kimberly entered the room.

The girl had long red hair and green eyes. She was the same age as me .

"Hey Mione" she greeted me upon entering "Is something wrong?"

I realized at that moment that I had tears in my eyes. The letter from Bellatrix was so sweet and our relationship was so hard...

"What? No, everything's okay Kim... " I couldn't even convince myself with this sentence.

"Come on Hermione... you know that you are not good at lying, and I can tell that something is troubling you . Let it out, you can tell me everything" she said, sitting beside me on the bed.

Kim was a Muggle and in the past we confided all of our secrets . Perhaps I should let it go with someone external to the wizarding world, someone who wouldn't judge me nor Bellatrix. Someone who had no idea magic existed.

"Kim , this is a secret. Nobody knows... " I began .

"You know I won't tell anyone"

I nodded.

"Look, there's this girl at my school... I like her lot, we've been dating for months now" I explained.

"Mione wow , I never knew you swung in that direction!"

"Neither did I. I guess my relationship with Bellatrix changed it"

"Bellatrix is your... girlfriend, right?"

"Yes she is. She's beautiful... I love her so much..."

"I can tell by the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about her that you really care for her" said Kim "What is the problem?"

"The problem is that her family is very old-fashioned and will never accept our relationship... it's so hard, Kim... " I sobbed the last words .

"Shhh, come here"

She hugged me and I cried on her shoulder until I had no more tears.

"What am I supposed do Kim? We cannot hide our love forever"

"Mione, I want what's best for you . You and Bellatrix are happy together, but you can't live your relationship in the dark forever. Love can conquer everything Mione. If your bond is strong, you will overcome all difficulties. It will be tough, but in the end it will be worth it . If you continue to live in secret, someone will separate you sooner or later. Secret lovers get lost in the lies they tell"

"You're right... but it's complicated"

"Shhh... It'll be okay. I'm sure Bellatrix and you will find a solution. See how things go from now on" I nodded .

"Thank you Kim. You are the best"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is shorter than the others but it is a filler…


	12. 12

Here we go, it was almost time.

The holydays were almost over and I was really excited because yesterday Bellatrix told me that today she would be able to visit me. From what she told me her parents would be having lunch with others important Pureblooded families such as the Malfoys and the Lestranges, so they wouldn't be back until the late afternoon.

Andromeda and an elf had helped her set up the plan. Earlier today an elf named Minxy had charmed my chimney so that Bellatrix could floo right in my living room while Dromeda had to make sure that Bellatrix would know if their parents came home early so that she could return without them noticing her absence.

My parents were working so I was pretty sure they wouldn't walk in on us kissing or something like that. That would be hard to explain.

"She should be here soon" I muttered while pacing back and forth into the room.

As if I had foreseen the future the fireplace in my living room burst into green flames and Bellatrix appeared. She was as beautiful as ever, the black dress she wore clung perfectly to all her curves and her soft curls were left free and covered the pale skin of her shoulders.

"Bella!" I squeaked as she stepped out of the fireplace. A second later I had my arms wrapped around her and my face buried into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent I missed so much these two weeks.

"I can't tell you how much I missed you" she whispered softly into my ear.

"I missed you too… These were that most boring holidays I've ever had!"

She smiled sweetly at me before cupping my chin in her hand and guiding my face to hers. Her lips were as soft as I remembered as they pecked mine in short, gentle kisses.

"Yeah…" she agreed "The Black Ball this year was even more boring than the last year"

She had told me about the Black Ball in one of her letters. It was one of the biggest events in the Wizarding community. Every year Mrs. Black organized this fabulous Ball at Black Manor to celebrate Christmas Eve. Every Pureblooded family of the country was invited, along with the Minister of Magic and every other important person such as Quiddich players and others.

To Bellatrix the Ball was boring as hell as she was forced to dance with men she had no interest in and listen to her aunts telling her that it was almost time she married a young, rich, Pureblooded wizard.

She simply hated it almost as much as her sister Narcissa loved it and at the first opportunity she fled the event to hide in her room until the ball was over.

"I wish you had been there" she sighed wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling our bodies extremely close.

"I know Bella" I said softly.

"Okay let's stop talking about the damn ball" she stated "Nice place you have here"

She looked around and I had to suppress a laugher every time she set her eyes on some Muggle item.

"That's a television Bella" I explained "For Muggles it's one of the most popular form of entertainment. When you switch it on it's like watching magical pictures with sound, here look"

I grabbed the remote and switched the TV on. I sat her down on the couch. Bellatrix watched the actors moving on the screen for a couple of minutes before turning to me.

"Muggles find this entertaining?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah. I've never particularly liked it but some people could watch TV all day"

"Let me guess" she started "You're more of a book person?"

"Yes I am" I smiled "And let me guess. You're the big bad Slytherin Chaser kind of person?"

Bellatrix had been one of the Chasers for the Slytherin Quiddich team for three years now. She was really good, when she had the Quaffle it was almost certain that she scored. This year I still hadn't seen her play, I avoided Quiddich matches because I didn't want to pretend to be cheering for the other houses when in fact I wanted to cheer for her. However I heard James saying that she was so good that the captain of the Slytherin team told a beater, Dolohov I think, to only care about Bellatrix during the games. That means his only task was to protect Bella from the Bludgers.

"I guess I am" she shrugged.

I climbed on her lap and straddled her. She looked up at me as I caressed her face and her soft curls. She was so beautiful. She was stunning and she loved me. If someone would have told me at the beginning of the school year that in two weeks I would have been Bellatrix Black's girlfriend, I would have told them that they had had a bit too much Firewhiskey.

I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers. In a moment her hands were in my hair and we were kissing with passion. Tongues battling for dominance and hands caressing every bit of skin they could find.

Soon it wasn't enough and I felt her hands going under my shirt and pulling it over my head. I moaned as her fingers found my bra covered breasts and massaged them through the annoying piece of clothing.

"Bella" I whispered through kisses "Let's take this upstairs, okay?"

She nodded and in less than ten seconds we were standing in my bedroom.

"Are you sure about this, Hermione?" she stroked my cheek with her thumb "I love you. I don't want to force you into anything"

I laid a short kiss on her lips, "You're not forcing me, Bella. I want you to be my first"

"Okay then"

In a moment we were both standing in our underwear and I couldn't help but stare at the beauty of my girlfriend. How her black curls cascaded down her shoulders and back creating a stunning contrast with the paleness of her skin. How her curves were in all the right places and how she moved to walk behind me and hug me from behind, pressing my body to hers.

A shudder crept down my spine straight to my core as I felt her body heat, her breasts pressed against my back.

"Close your eyes" she whispered in my ear.

I did and soon I felt her lips trailing kisses up and down my neck while her hands unclasped my bra. I moaned as I felt her fingers twisting my nipples. Wetness pooled between my legs and I had to lean on her for support. She sensed that my knees were going weak so she slowly moved until we were standing near my bed. She pushed me down on it and then straddled my waist.

I trailed my hands up her back and cupped her face guiding her lips to mine for another kiss. It was sweet and full of emotion, then I felt her fingers slip into my panties and I gasped as she stroked my folds gently.

"Bella"

I moaned as she attached her lips to my nipple, teasing it with her tongue as she stroked the other with her fingers. Her other hand was still buried in my panties, doing wonders between my legs. It was a pleasure like I had never experienced before. After a beet more teasing to my nipples she slowly moved down my body and finally stripped both me and her of the remaining clothes, meaning that now we were both naked before each others eyes.

"Hermione, you're beautiful" she said while trailing a finger from between my breasts to my bellybutton.

"Look who's talking" I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes, please!"

She smirked and spread my legs before leaning in. I moaned in pleasure as I felt her tongue lick my folds and stroke my clit. My hands tangled in her hair to keep her in place.

"Yes Bella like that"

My hips bucked against her face, she laced her lips around my clit and sucked on it while her fingers teased my entrance. I was so close and she hadn't even been doing it for two minutes.

"Please Bella I'm going to come"

As soon as I said those words she entered me with her fingers. I screamed when I felt my walls clasping around her fingers. It was the most powerful orgasm I'd ever had in my entire life of course, my own fingers couldn't compare to her.

She stroked my cheeks tenderly as I came down from my high but as soon as I caught my breath I inverted our positions so that I was on top.

I spent a fair amount of time just savoring her lips and enjoying the way they felt against mine before moving down her body.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to" she said looking lovingly down at me.

"That's the point Bellatrix. I want to" I placed a sweet kiss between her breasts to confirm my point "Now shut up and let me do my thing"

She chuckled and I got down to business. I tried to do the same things she had done to me, this was the first time I touched another woman after all.

Her moans kept me going. They meant that she was enjoying what I was doing, right? Right.

I started with her breasts, teasing one nipple with my tongue and the other with my fingers before switching. Bellatrix tangled her hands in my hair and pressed my face to her chest. I grazed the nipple with my teeth and she hissed.

"Yeah just like that" she moaned "I like it rough"

I had imagined she would so I released her nipple to trail kisses down her stomach, biting her here and there.

Finally I was at the level of her core. It was glorious, beautiful and glistening with arousal.

"Keep going please… You can't stop now" I hadn't even realized that I had stopped for over a minute.

I spread her legs and leaned in. The first lick was unforgettable and I immediately loved the taste of her essence. I kept going switching between teasing her entrance and her clit. Soon my fingers joined the mix as I entered her feeling her walls constricting around my fingers.

I loved the feeling almost as much as she was and she was enjoying this a lot judging from the noises she was making. She surely wasn't silent between moans and curses.

After a bit more of my ministrations she finally came squeezing my head between her legs and scratching my shoulders with her nails.

I let her recover then moved up her body to kiss her gently.

"That was amazing!" she said still out of breath "Are you sure this was your first time?"

"Pretty sure" I chuckled.

"Wow"

"You were amazing too, Bella"

She smiled and pulled me towards her in another kiss. We stayed cuddled on the bed for some time, just enjoying each other presence until we heard footsteps and a voice.

"Bellatrix! Hermione! Where are you?"

We hadn't had time to answer Andromeda's question before the door to my room swung open and Bella's sister appeared in the doorway.

"Bella here you are! Mom and dad are…"

She didn't finish the sentence because she noticed the position Bella and I were in. It wasn't everyday you walked in on your sister and her girlfriend naked on a bed.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed covering her eyes with her hand and turning around.

"What are you doing here, Dromeda?" Bellatrix questioned harshly "Ever heard of knocking?"

I nudged her in the ribs, "Bella be nice! She's probably here for a reason, aren't you Andy?"

"Yes! Mom and dad are home earlier than expected so will you please get dressed before they notice our absence?" explained Andromeda still with her back to us.

"They are home already?" Bella exclaimed while putting her clothes on.

I looked at the watch on my wall and saw that it was already six o'clock. I guess we'd been cuddled for longer than I thought.

"I'll wait for you by the fireplace" said Andromeda "Hurry up! Goodbye Mione, see you in a couple of days!"

"Bye Andy"

Bellatrix finished dressing and turned to me.

"I guess I'll see you in a couple of days too" she pecked me on the lips.

"Yeah… I love you"

"I love you too"

She winked at me and a moment later she was gone. I sighed and laid back down on the bed trying to smell her scent on the pillow she was using.

Just a couple more days Hermione, you can do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
> This is the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Leave some reviews and let me know what you think!


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